Margoog with Lamb and Vegetables

1Preparation

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Add the water gradually and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and no longer sticky.
3. Coat the dough with 1 tbsp oil, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4. Chop the onions, crush the garlic and dice the tomatoes.
5. Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into large chunks, then cut the zucchini and eggplant into large chunks.
6. Pierce the dried limes with a knife.
7. Divide the dough into 4 balls and roll each one out on a floured surface until very thin (1–2 mm).
8. Cut the sheets into 5 cm squares and dust them with flour so they don't stick together.

2Cooking

1. Heat the oil in a deep pot and fry the onions until soft and golden.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 8 min timer
2. Add the lamb and turn it until browned on all sides.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 8 min timer
3. Add the garlic, baharat, turmeric, cumin and black pepper, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until the tomatoes soften.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 5 min timer
5. Pour in the water, add the dried limes and salt, cover and simmer until the meat is almost tender and a knife goes in with only slight resistance.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 70 min timer
6. Add the potatoes and carrots and let them cook.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 10 min timer
7. Add the zucchini, eggplant and green chili.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 5 min timer
8. Drop the dough squares into the simmering broth one at a time, stirring gently so they don't clump.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 3 min timer
9. Cover and cook until the dough is cooked through, its edges look almost translucent and the broth has thickened.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 18 min timer

3Serving

1. Taste, adjust the salt and let the pot rest off the heat for 5 minutes.
2. Ladle the margoog into a large deep dish with the meat and vegetables arranged on top.
3. Serve hot with fresh green chilies or a green salad.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: leaving the dough too thick — it stays raw inside and turns gummy. Roll it as thin as you can.
• The broth should cover everything when the dough goes in; if it is low, add hot water.
• Margoog should be thick, somewhere between a soup and a stew, and it thickens further as it cools.

🔁 Substitutions

• For the traditional flavour, use whole-wheat flour, or half whole-wheat and half white.
• Beef or chicken can replace the lamb; cut the simmering time to 30 minutes for chicken.