Morocco's reigning monarch, King Hassan II, once likened his country to a desert palm "rooted in Africa, watered by Islam and rustled by the winds of Europe." Although Moroccan soil has found its independence, its long history of colonizers and immigrants have left indelible prints that continue to influence Moroccan way of life and Moroccan cooking. While the Arabs introduced spices and different varieties of bread, the Spanish taught Moroccans how to cook using olives, fruits, nuts and herbs, transforming the humble Berber tajine into a flavorsome stew that's second to none.
By way of preparing ourselves for our trip to Morocco, Glenn and I decided to suss out the best Moroccan restaurant in Singapore - Deli Moroccan. Situated along a beautifully tiled walkway leading to Sultan Mosque, and with neighboring restuarnts touting authentic Middle Eastern food and cheap sheesha, we couldn't help but feel like we had been instantly transported into another time and place.
background: Chicken Kebabs
foreground: lamb kofta tajine cooked with 7 kinds of vegetables and served in a tagine.
By way of preparing ourselves for our trip to Morocco, Glenn and I decided to suss out the best Moroccan restaurant in Singapore - Deli Moroccan. Situated along a beautifully tiled walkway leading to Sultan Mosque, and with neighboring restuarnts touting authentic Middle Eastern food and cheap sheesha, we couldn't help but feel like we had been instantly transported into another time and place.
starter: hummus and round flat pita bread
green apple yoghurt juice (with mint) and lots of spices
green apple yoghurt juice (with mint) and lots of spices
Glenn and I wanted to give all the starters a miss and dive in for their main course and speciality - the chicken couscous. However, we were told that we had to wait thirty minutes for couscous as they had not begun preparations yet. Like Singaporeans in a hurry, we decided against waiting and settled on a bowl of hummus (which technically isn't Moroccan at all; we could not care less. We were in Singapore after all). Besides, it turned out to be a very tasty choice!
background: Chicken Kebabsforeground: lamb kofta tajine cooked with 7 kinds of vegetables and served in a tagine.
all images by Glenn.
The chicken kebabs though very very tasty had evidently been grilled in a significant amount of oil.
As for tagine, I'm not sure how it would compare to the ones served in Morocco. But I did try to name the different types of vegetables in our stew; there were foreign looking objects (probably spices) that I couldn't decipher; a tiny tinge of mint; many chinese vegetables such as onions and cabbage ... which could only lead me to conclude that the travelling tagine had once again evolved.
Evolution is not always a bad thing, and this was good stuff!
The lamb Kofta tagine was my favorite amongst the two main orders. It was both sweet and sour; doling out comfort and warmth. We'll be back!
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