Marqa Recipe for Ramadan (Marka, Maraq or Marak)

This is my entry for Super Soup Challenge another food blogging event via Is My Blog Burning.

Marqa is the Algerian derja (dialect) word for Arabic maraq (marak or marag). I was curious about the variations in pronunciation and meaning, so I looked up the word in Medieval Arab Cookery and Delights from The Garden of Eden by Nawal Nasarallah.

In Algerian derja marqa means sauce. Medieval Arab Cookery confirms my understanding of the word. I found a South Asian food blog that refers to marag as a stew (Hyderabad marag). In Delights from The Garden of Eden Nawal Nasrallah tells us that marga or marag in Iraq is a stew "of meat and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce". In Tunisia marqa usually refers to braises or stews cooked in tagines.

Ramadan is the month of soups in Algeria. Harira, chorba or a soupy marqa are integral parts of the Iftar meal (breakfast or the meal for breaking the fast). Soups are easy to digest, satisfying, delicious, economical and can be made with whatever meats and vegetables are on hand. Making more soup to feed a large group can be as simple as adding more water to make more sauce.

The first photo is a half a tomato on the side of a box grater. This is an Algerian technique for making a quick tomato sauce, it's an easier and faster way of peeling tomatoes than the concassé method which involves blanching the tomatoes. Try this method the next time you make a salsa tomatish.

I made this marqa in a pressure cooker, but it can be made in a slow cooker or big pot.

I browned 2 pounds of cubed beef brisket (bone in lamb is more traditional) that I had sprinkled with 1/2 teaspoon of ras el hanout. I added 1 cup of chick peas that I soaked in water for several hours, six whole sprigs of cilantro (remove before service), 1 medium onion that I caramelized, and 2 whole jalapenos. Adding whole peppers to soups and stews gives dishes a peppery aroma without adding much heat.

I added enough water to reach 2/3 up the side of the pressure cooker, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked for 30 minutes. Release pressure from the pot according to manufacturer's directions.

I garnished the soup with fenugreek leaves, but you can substitute cilantro or flat leaf parsley.

Comments

[arfi]

Is it a cool month in Algeria this time of the year? I always love soup. And I know it is really good to break the fasting with soup. I do Indonesian traditional way to take traditional sweet pudding before praying, then soup after tarawih. Salam for you, my brother!