AI-generated image
Tagoula (barley porridge with argan oil and honey)
Tagoula: thick Amazigh barley porridge with a pool of argan oil, honey and a little smen
MoroccanTagoula is mountain food from the Souss and the Atlas: coarse barley (or maize) cooked in salted water until it is thick enough to hold a shape, then turned into a shared dish, hollowed in the centre and filled with golden argan oil, honey and sometimes a spoon of smen. Families eat it for breakfast on cold days and it is a traditional dish for Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year in January. Everyone dips spoonfuls of the soft, nutty porridge into the pool of oil and honey, so each bite is sweet, savoury and rich at once. Outside Morocco, a roasted walnut oil is the closest stand-in for culinary argan oil. Chef's tip: pour the grits into boiling water in a thin stream while beating with a wooden spoon; dumping them in at once is the usual mistake and leaves lumps.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 7 oz coarse barley gritsor coarse maize semolina
To serve
- 4 tbsp culinary (roasted) argan oilor roasted walnut oil
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp smen or butter (optional)see our smen recipe
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 5 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a rolling boil in a heavy pot over a high heat.
6 minStep 2: Turn the heat to medium. Pour in 7 oz coarse barley grits in a slow, thin stream with one hand while you beat hard with a wooden spoon in the other, until all the grain is in and there are no lumps.
Step 3: Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 25–30 minutes, beating well every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom. It is ready when the grains are soft and the porridge is so thick that the spoon almost stands up and it pulls away from the sides of the pot. Add a splash of boiling water if it gets stiff before the grains are tender.
28 minStep 4: Wet a wide serving dish, tip the porridge in and smooth it into a dome with a wet spoon. Press a deep well into the centre.
Step 5: Fill the well with 4 tbsp culinary (roasted) argan oil, 4 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp smen or butter. Serve hot, letting everyone dip spoonfuls of porridge into the centre.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tagoula (barley porridge with argan oil and honey) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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
BabboucheSpiced snail broth
After dark in Marrakech's great square, the babbouche stalls are recognisable by their steaming cauldrons and the toothpicks laid out by every bowl. Small land snails simmer in a dark broth of liquorice root, aniseed, thyme, caraway, bitter orange peel, chilli and a bundle of herbs that sellers say has fifteen ingredients, believed to soothe the stomach and warm you on a cold night. You pick the snails out with a toothpick, then drink the peppery, herbal, faintly sweet broth. At home, buy live snails sold for cooking, already purged by a reputable seller, discard any with broken shells or that do not move or retract when touched, and cook them through for at least 45 minutes. Chef's tip: keep the spices in a muslin bag; the broth stays clear and you avoid crunching on seeds.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi