Moroccan Marqa Sauce
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Onions, grated or finely chopped — 2 large
- Ripe tomatoes, grated — 300 g (10.5 oz)
- Garlic cloves, minced — 3
- Fresh ginger, grated — 10 g (1 tbsp)
- Ground turmeric — 3 g (1 tsp)
- Saffron threads — 1 pinch
- Ground cinnamon — 2 g (1/2 tsp)
- Olive oil — 60 ml (1/4 cup)
- Salt and pepper — to taste
Method
- Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat; add grated onion and cook until softened and translucent,
- about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger, cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in grated tomato, turmeric, saffron and cinnamon; simmer 15-20 minutes until thickened.
- Add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick, adjusting to the desired consistency for whatever tagine it will
- accompany.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cultural Background: A warmly spiced onion and tomato base sauce, marqa underlies countless Moroccan tagines, its name simply meaning 'sauce' or 'broth' in Moroccan Arabic, built on a foundational blend of onion, ginger, saffron and warm spices that defines much of Moroccan home cooking.
Tips: • Grating the onion and tomato rather than dicing gives the characteristic smooth, cohesive base texture of a proper marqa. • This sauce is typically the base into which meat or vegetables are then added and slow-cooked, rather than a finished standalone sauce.
Variations: • Add preserved lemon and olives for a classic chicken tagine variation. • Add prunes and honey for a sweet-savoury lamb tagine variation.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days as a base; typically used immediately as the foundation for a tagine. Reheating Reheat gently over low heat, stirring occasionally. Nutrition (per serving) Approx. 55 kcal, 1 g protein, 4 g fat, 4.5 g carbohydrate per 60 g serving.
Reheating: Reheat gently over low heat, stirring occasionally. Nutrition (per serving) Approx. 55 kcal, 1 g protein, 4 g fat, 4.5 g carbohydrate per 60 g serving.
FAQs: What is marqa used for? As the foundational spiced sauce base for Moroccan tagines, into which meat, poultry or vegetables are added to slow-cook. Can I make it ahead? Yes, the base sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated, then used to start a tagine when ready to cook the main dish.
- Onions, grated or finely chopped — 2 large
- Ripe tomatoes, grated — 300 g (10.5 oz)
- Garlic cloves, minced — 3
- Fresh ginger, grated — 10 g (1 tbsp)
- Ground turmeric — 3 g (1 tsp)
- Saffron threads — 1 pinch
- Ground cinnamon — 2 g (1/2 tsp)
- Olive oil — 60 ml (1/4 cup)
- Salt and pepper — to taste
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