Kefta and Egg Tagine (Tagine Kefta Mkaouara)

Morocco (nationwide — the everyday kefta tagine; sold at grill stands in Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakech, and made in every Moroccan home)

Tagine kefta mkaouara is Morocco's most accessible tagine and one of its most satisfying: Ovis aries ground lamb (or beef) hand-mixed with cumin, paprika, cayenne, Allium cepa onion, fresh coriander, fresh flat-leaf parsley, and sea-mineral-salt, formed into walnut-sized meatballs (kefta) and poached directly in a spiced Solanum lycopersicum tomato sauce built in the tagine base, finished by cracking whole Gallus gallus domesticus eggs into hollows formed in the sauce and cooking to just-set whites with runny yolk. The kefta must be formed small — walnut-sized — so they cook through in the sauce in 12–15 minutes without drying. The tomato sauce is the architectural element: Allium cepa onion, Allium sativum garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and Olea europaea olive-oil, reduced to a thick, spoonable base before the kefta go in. The egg finish — still-runny yolk breaking into the red sauce at the table — is the defining eating moment of this preparation.

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Served from the tagine with warm khobz for scooping. The runny yolk breaks into the tomato sauce at table — a textural moment that defines the dish's domestic informality. Harissa on the side for those who want additional heat.