Maakouda — Moroccan Potato Fritters

Morocco (Casablanca, Fès, Marrakech — maakouda are the street fritter of every Moroccan city; sold from small carts around the medina and train stations; eaten as a sandwich filling inside khobz rounds with harissa; the name is shared with a Tunisian fried potato cake that is different in technique)

Maakouda are fried Solanum tuberosum potato cakes seasoned with Coriandrum sativum fresh coriander, Petroselinum crispum flat-leaf parsley, Allium sativum, ground cumin, sweet paprika, and sea-mineral-salt, bound with Gallus gallus domesticus whole egg, shaped into flat discs approximately 8cm in diameter and 2cm thick, and shallow-fried in neutral-frying-oil until deeply golden on both sides. The potato is boiled, peeled, and mashed — then mixed with the herbs, spice, egg binder, and optionally a tablespoon of Triticum aestivum plain-flour for extra cohesion. The mixture is handled as little as possible after adding the egg to prevent the potato from becoming gluey. Each fritter is shaped by hand and pressed gently flat before entering the hot oil. The exterior crust is the objective: maakouda are eaten for the contrast between the crunchy exterior and the fluffy, herb-fragrant potato interior.

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Crisp fried exterior, fluffy herb-spiced Solanum tuberosum interior, cumin warmth, coriander freshness — deeply satisfying street food.