Kefta Mkaouara (Meatball and Egg Tajine)

Serves 3:

For the meatballs:
300g minced meat
2 tablesp bread crumbs in 3 tablesp milk
1 teasp ground cumin
3 ground peppercorns
1 teasp paprika
1/2 teasp cayenne pepper
1/2 teasp dried coriander
1/2 teasp cinnamon
a good pinch of salt

For the sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
olive oil
1/2 teasp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 teasp fennel seeds, ground
1 teasp turmeric
3 peppercorns, ground
1 teasp paprika
1 teasp ginger
1/2 teasp cayenne pepper
1/4 teasp allspice
1 tomato can
2 cloves garlic, mashed
a good pinch of sugar
salt to taste
water (about 200ml)
a hanfull of fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs


Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and mix thouroughly until everything is homogeneous. Shape up meatballs of about 1.5cm diameter and set them aside.

In a deep frying pan, saute' the onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil, for several minutes over low/medium heat. Add the spice mix (coriander seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric, peppercorns, paprika, ginger, cayenne, allspice) and stir for a couple of minutes on low heat. Add the tomato can, garlic, sugar, salt and water. Mix well and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low heat. Control the taste and adjust if necessary. Add the meat balls one by one, the parsley, and continue cooking for another 15-30 minutes on low heat with the lid on.
Make three slight dips in the mixture and break an egg into each one. Let it sizzle until the eggs are just set (about 5min).
Serve with couscous or slices of toasted bread.