Diet Khlii
Diet khlii? Seriously?! That’s what I thought when I saw it at the supermarket. I read the label again; it clearly said “khliaa régime“. It seemed like an aberration and sure did raise question and exclamation marks in my mind but they were shortly followed by a smile.
I smiled the whole time I was reading the ingredient list. A “fatless” khlii made with camel meat and preserved in olive oil and spices. Nothing else. How hot is that! I love it when somebody comes up with a healthy solution like this one. I love it when somebody actually sits down and thinks about better ways to do things. Yeah baby, a planner with a few solutions up his sleeve is definitely hot, even when it comes to making khlii.
And so, health-conscious me, who hasn’t had the “real” khlii -pictured below- in over 15 years, and had no plans whatsoever to buy it anytime soon, saw her reticences melt away one by one like ice cubes on a summer day. I strode to the register faster than I can ever walk to pay the 70 dirham price tag, cutting the queue, cursing back at the angry line standers, and ran home with it.
Most Americans are not familiar with khlii. Those who are wrongly think it’s disgusting because they believe it’s rotten meat. Khlii is not rotten, it is simply meat that was sun-dried for days then cooked and stored in melted animal fat in a cool, dark place. The fat hardens and acts as a preservative for the meat. When you want to cook it, you simply fish it out of the fat, scrape off the excess fat fragments (or not) and cook it in a tagine or omelet. It is quite delicious, and if it weren’t for my aversion to animal fat, I’d be having it more often. It is not disgusting at all, not any more than other meats preserved in fat are. What you don’t want to do is eat it right out of the fat, as is, without cooking it. It definitely needs to be warmed to melt all the fat away and bring the dormant flavors back to life.
Adding a few pieces of khlii to your stew to serve over couscous is the ultimate deliciousness. Cooking it with fried eggs and serving it for breakfast is also common practice.
Diet khlii has not made it to the US yet but to get a taste of the original, click here. Khlii is a must-try, if only once in a lifetime, to see how far, deep and complex flavors can get.
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Angie's Recipes — 05/11/2011 @ 10:54 am
Sundried meat…that sounds great to me. Would love to taste some.
Julia — 05/11/2011 @ 11:10 am
I know what you mean about it perhaps not being the most healthy dish but it sounds soooo good. I've never heard of it before. Love your photos by the way. :)
1000+1 — 05/11/2011 @ 11:40 am
we have a version of this in N/Caucasus called 'li ghur' same concept. i love it and miss it a lot!
Barbara — 05/11/2011 @ 1:16 pm
I think I'm giving khlii as pass, Nisrine, even if I could find it. :)
paula — 05/11/2011 @ 2:15 pm
Is the diet version only made with camel? How does it taste compared to beef?
The Khlii available from http://www.moroccankhlii.com is beef jerky cooked in some very nicely flavored fat. I use about a 1/2 teaspoon of the fat and 1slice of the crushed and shredded Khlii for 2eggs. I don't think it's fatty at all.
Now my own recipe for homemade Khlii is much fattier but l steam it for a few minutes before using and it's pretty fat free and is delicious.
Nisrine Merzouki — 05/11/2011 @ 10:01 pm
Paula, I've only seen the camel version. It is not as tender as beef.
I never thought of steaming it before and I like the idea a lot. It would melt the fat while keeping the nice flavors. Thanks for sharing this tip!
Bridgett ~ La Bella Cook — 05/11/2011 @ 10:29 pm
I have never heard of this dish but I am intrigued now that I know it is a sun dried meat. I would love to try it one day.
El — 05/12/2011 @ 2:30 am
Wow. I've never heard of it. So interesting. beautiful photos too!
Joanne — 05/12/2011 @ 10:51 am
Whoa this sounds awesome! I bet the sun-drying makes it taste really good…kind of like curing it with sunlight instead of salt!
Indie.Tea — 05/12/2011 @ 8:07 pm
It sounds like a cross between jerky and a confit – actually. Very interesting…
Nisrine Merzouki — 05/13/2011 @ 7:54 pm
Paula, I've only seen the camel version. It's not as tender as the beef.
I like the idea of steaming khlii to melt the fat while keeping the flavors. Thanks so much for sharing this tip!
Magic of Spice — 05/13/2011 @ 10:11 pm
I have a friend whom I have known for many years and he loves Khlii…I will have to find out if he has heard of this lighter version :)
Lucy Lu — 06/01/2011 @ 8:08 am
everything looks yummy :) i never try khlii, interesting recipe!
thank you,
have a nice day!
Moroccan Khlii, Inc — 08/12/2011 @ 6:47 pm
Find out more about the Khlii for sale in the USA. We ship Nationwide, including Hawaii, Alaska, and the islands :)
Go to http://www.MoroccanKhlii.com