AI-generated image
Dafina
Dafina: the Moroccan Jewish Shabbat stew of beef, chickpeas, potatoes, wheat and whole eggs
Dafina, meaning buried or covered, is what Moroccan Jewish families from Casablanca to Meknes set to cook before sundown on Friday, so a hot lunch is waiting after synagogue on Saturday without lighting a fire on the Sabbath. Beef, a marrow bone, chickpeas, potatoes, sweet potatoes and dates go into one big pot with whole eggs in their shells and a cloth bag of wheat berries, all seasoned with paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and a little honey. Overnight the eggs turn creamy and brown, the wheat becomes sticky, and the broth is sweet-savoury and deep. There is no pork in it, and kosher cooks use kosher beef. Chef's tip: wrap the wheat berries loosely in a cloth bag or a roasting bag with holes; packed too tight, the grain cannot swell and stays hard.
- Total time
- 760 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the stew
For the wheat bag
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (8)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: On Friday afternoon heat the oven to 200°F (fan 194°F), or set a slow cooker to low.
Step 2: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a very large heavy ovenproof pot over a medium-high heat. Brown 2 ⅝ lb beef brisket or shin on all sides in batches, 3 minutes a side, until well coloured.
12 minStep 3: Put all the beef back in the pot with 2 beef marrow bones, 9 oz dried chickpeas, 1 head garlic, 8 pitted dates, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 2 ½ tsp salt.
Step 4: Mix 9 oz whole wheat berries with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sweet paprika and ½ tsp salt, tie it loosely in a cloth bag or a pierced roasting bag, leaving room for it to swell, and tuck it in one side of the pot.
Step 5: Arrange 1 ¾ lb waxy potatoes and 2 sweet potatoes around the meat and nestle 8 eggs gently between them. Pour in 10 ½ cups water until everything is just covered.
Step 6: Bring to the boil on the hob, skim off any foam, then simmer for 20 minutes so the pot is thoroughly hot before it goes in the oven.
20 minStep 7: Cover tightly and put it in the oven before sundown. Cook overnight, 12–14 hours, until the beef is falling apart and the egg shells are dark brown. A common mistake is a pot that is too full or too dry: check before closing that the liquid comes almost to the top and the lid is tight.
700 minStep 8: At lunch, serve the parts on separate platters, as is traditional: the meat with the potatoes, the eggs shelled and halved, the wheat unwrapped onto its own dish and the broth and chickpeas in bowls. Leftovers should be cooled and refrigerated within 2 hours.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 47 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dafina take?
- About 760 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 720 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese