Mquila, a specialty of Rabat, and a meat delicacy not quite as hardcore as khlii, but very very flavorful nonetheless. The secrets to good mquila are ground coriander—lots of it!—and many many hours of marinating.
The typical way to make mquila is cooking any kind of beef or lamb meat with a small amount of suet. I stepped away from that method by skipping the suet and using skirt steak which is beautifully marbled with fat, flavorful and quick to cook.
Serve your steak sandwich with a drizzle of ras el hanout yogurt sauce and chunks of goat cheese. For a more authentic experience, top it with a fried egg.
Mquila Sandwiches with Ras El Hanout Yogurt Sauce Recipe
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 10 MIN
COOK TIME: 30 MIN
This recipe is extremely easy but you will need to plan ahead as it needs to marinate overnight or at least a couple of hours.
Ingredients:
For the marinade
- 1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin strips
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
For garnish
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
For the yogurt sauce
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon ras el hanout
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Whole grain baguette or flatbread
Directions:
Combine the skirt steak with the ingredients for the marinade in a large glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Transfer the meat into a medium pot. Add 1 ½ cups water and cook, covered, over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the remaining liquid to evaporate, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the minced cilantro.
Whisk all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce together in a small bowl.
Serve mquila on whole grain bread drizzled with yogurt sauce and/or topped with a fried egg.
