Moroccan · Main course
Ashura Korban (Dried-Meat Tagine)
In many regions Ashura is when the korban — meat dried and salted at the previous Aïd — is finally cooked, simmered into a rich tagine with pulses, wheat berries and vegetables. The concentrated, salty dried meat perfumes the whole pot, a frugal, deeply traditional dish that links one feast to the next.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 100 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Serves
- 5
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- 300 g dried salted meat (korban/kadid), soaked
- 150 g wheat berries or hulled barley, soaked
- 150 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots and 1 turnip, diced
- Salt to taste and coriander to finish
Method
- 1
Rehydrate
Soak the dried meat in a few changes of water to reduce its salt, and soak the wheat and chickpeas separately.
- 2
Start the pot
Warm the oil, cook the onion and garlic, add the spices, then the drained meat and cover with fresh water.
- 3
Simmer the grains
Add the drained wheat and chickpeas and simmer for about an hour until they begin to soften.
- 4
Add vegetables
Stir in the carrots and turnip and cook another 30 minutes until everything is tender and the broth is rich.
- 5
Season and serve
Salt carefully (the meat is salty), scatter with coriander and serve in deep bowls with bread.
Chef's tips
- Soak the dried meat well and taste the broth before adding any salt — korban carries a lot of its own.
- Soaking the chickpeas and wheat overnight is essential for them to cook tender in the pot.
- A little of the meat's soaking fat adds authentic depth; skim only if the broth turns greasy.
Frequently asked questions
What is korban exactly?
It is meat from the Aïd sacrifice cut into strips, salted, spiced and dried to preserve it, then cooked months later, classically at Ashura, connecting the two occasions.
Can I use fresh meat instead?
You can make a similar wheat-and-pulse tagine with fresh lamb, but you lose the concentrated, cured character that defines the Ashura korban dish.