During my time road tripping through the country of Morocco, I came across an interesting food product while in the busy souks of Marrakesh, a product called Khlea. “Khlea” or “Khlii”is a traditional Moroccan dish consisting of preserved meat, often beef or lamb. The meat is cut into strips and marinated with garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt.

It is then cured, and cooked in animal fat. After cooking, the meat is submerged in more animal fat, allowing it to dry and be preserved for up to two years at room temperature. Think of it as a “meat confit”. It is used in a wide range of dishes such as Tagines, soups, flatbread, and the most popular use is with eggs for breakfast. I purchased a tub of Khlea to bring home and give it a try and I found it to be really good with eggs. For this recipe, I skipped using salt because the Khlea is salty and I added chopped olives which are also salty, so add more sodium at your own risk. Also this dish is traditionally cooked in a Tagine pot, which I know not many people have one on hand. So instead the recipe will be prepared in a skillet. Also, stay tuned for part 2 of my blog on our great Moroccan Foodie Road Trip coming soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Khlea, cut into small pieces (Khlea can be purchased online)
• ½ of a small onion, finely diced 
• 3 Tbs black olives, roughly chopped (optional) 
• 6-8 large eggs, beaten 
• 1-2 Tbs heavy cream 
• ¼ tsp  cumin 
• ¼ tsp coriander 
• ¼ tsp turmeric 
• Dash of freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 Tbs fresh chopped parsley (for garnish) 

Directions:

In a large bowl add the eggs, cream, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a dash of black pepper. Whisk the mixture until you no longer see streaks of the egg whites, and the spices are thoroughly incorporated. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add the Khlea (with some of the fat) and onions. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions soften, some of the excess fat can be removed at this point, leaving about 2-3 tablespoons. Stir in the egg mixture and olives if you are using them. Reduce the heat and cook until the eggs stiffen on the bottom but are slightly loose on the top, about 5-7 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and cover with a lid for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid garnish with parsley and serve with your choice of bread. I had no Moroccan bread on hand so I used a crusty sourdough bread.