Maakouda – Moroccan Potato Cakes

Blessing Funmilayo
Blessing Funmilayohttps://afrifoodnetwork.com/
Hello, my name is Funmilayo, and i love to write about food, beauty, fashion and wellness. So welcome to my Food world! I share histories, discoveries, uniqueness, tips, and tricks on different dishes .Come let's take this adventure together. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do and hope to see you back here again soon.
- Advertisement -

Maakouda is a delicious little Moroccan potato cake. They’re traditional Moroccan street food and are served on their own or in sandwiches.

This Moroccan potato beignet ate as an appetizer, a side dish, or as a filling in a crusty sandwich. If you go to Morocco, try them, if not check the recipe below!

What is Maakouda?

Maakouda is a savory Moroccan Potato Beignet, deep-fried in oil and usually served in a small baguette. It’s the typical street food of Meknes, the wine capital of North Africa. It’s cheap, tasty, and widely available.

It’s also known as maaqouda, maqouda, or makouda and is a popular potato recipe not just in Morocco, but also in Algeria and Tunisia.

In a way, it’s like the Moroccan/Algerian falafel, except far less popular outside of those two countries. It’s also a great way to reuse your leftover mashed or baked potatoes.

Maakouda Recipe

These potato cakes are easy to make. Traditionally, they’re deep-fried, but you can also make them in an air fryer or bake them in the oven.

In makouda, mashed potato is mixed with flour and herbs, then rolled into balls and fried. The results are beautifully crispy outsides with soft, flavorful, and delicious soft potato insides. Bliss.

Tips For Best Maakouda

  • Try them baked in the oven at 400F / 200C for 25 minutes or until crispy and golden.
  • They’re also great in the air fryer. Just air fry until golden and turn them frequently if your air fryer doesn’t have a moving paddle.
  • You can serve them with a little spicy harissa paste mixed into yogurt for a quick dip.
  • Try them in a sandwich, as an appetizer, side dish, or party food.

Recipe Variation

  • Gluten-free: You can easily make maa’kouda gluten-free by using gluten-free flour.
  • Vegan: Make this vegan by using flax eggs. Simply mix 1 teaspoon ground flax in 3 teaspoons water and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Use it in the recipe where the egg is called for.
  • Oil-free: You can make this recipe oil-free by cooking the makouda balls in an air fryer with no oil. Be sure to turn them often.

What To Serve With Maakouda

These potato cakes are typical Moroccan street food and are eaten as an appetizer, snack, side, or, commonly, in a sandwich with lettuce and tomato in a baguette.

They’re served on their own as a snack or in a baguette with salad. They also make a great side dish to the veggie tagine.

Be sure to recreate this Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, Moroccan recipe, Enjoy!

Maakouda - Moroccan Potato Cakes

Idriss
Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this moroccan recipe is sure to please!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Moroccan
Servings 6
Calories 135 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 medium size russet potatoes about 500g
  • Handful of coriander
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ras al hanout OPTIONAL but highly recommended
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • About a cup of flour to coat your fritters
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3 cups frying oil of your choice. I used grape seed oil.

Instructions
 

  • Peel and dice your potatoes into roughly 1-inch squares. Place in microwave-safe bowl with a plate on top and cook on high heat for 8 minutes or until soft (if you don't have a microwave, boil until soft). 
  • Finely chop coriander (or any other fresh herb you'd prefer), set aside.
  • Let the potatoes cool enough for you to be able to handle them, and then mash them until completely smooth. Add your egg and chopped coriander to the cool mashed potatoes. Add salt, turmeric, ras al hanout, salt, pepper, baking powder and mix thoroughly. Add half of the flour onto a plate, set aside the other half and use as needed.
  • Shape equal amounts of mashed potato mixture into a ball and flatten slightly. Coat flattened potato mixture in flour, set aside. Repeat until you're out of mashed potatoes. 
  • Heat up frying oil in a small pot, wok or small sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add 3-4 fritters at a time, keep turning them around until they're golden (about 3 minutes) then let them cool on a cooling rack, continue with the next batch.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Share this post:
Blessing Funmilayo
Blessing Funmilayohttps://afrifoodnetwork.com/
Hello, my name is Funmilayo, and i love to write about food, beauty, fashion and wellness. So welcome to my Food world! I share histories, discoveries, uniqueness, tips, and tricks on different dishes .Come let's take this adventure together. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do and hope to see you back here again soon.
spot_img

Must Try Recipes

You'll also love