The Tunisian Lamb Stew I First Tasted in the Desert, Recreated at Home

Douz, a town surrounded by swaths of desert, is two hours east of the Tunisian city Tozeur, along a causeway that cuts through the Chott El-Djerid, a magnificent dry salt plain that shimmers in muted mauves and pearlescent silver. I was in Douz, referred to as the gateway to the Tunisian Sahara, as part of a sustainability-forward tour that included a night in the desert with the Bedouin cameleers who live in the nearby villages.

It was there that I first saw a golla, a vessel that resembles a jug on its side. When the cook took a golla out of an underground wood-fire and broke the dough seal, steam billowed out. He was making a tender lamb stew called a koucha. Paula Wolfert, in her doting cookbook Traditional Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking, asserts that most food tastes better when cooked in clay. She had a point.

Later in the trip and deeper into the Sahara, surrounded by nothing more than dunes, a cameleer named Meki set up a cooking station in a tent made of goat hair and sheep’s wool, where he made a thick, fragrant stew with tender lamb, peppers, onions, and potatoes. There’s a hint of wild thyme and rosemary, too. A subtle smokiness from the wood fire permeated the stew, the garlic had melted into buttery nubs, and the peppers offered a mellow jolt of spiciness. Meki also prepared couscous to eat with the stew, along with a salad and brik, a crispy pastry filled with tuna and egg. Unlike the koucha I had in Douz, this one wasn’t cooked in an underground golla, but in a rather worse-for-wear metal pot. It was still very impressive.

How did all that food come from the bags in our wee convoy? I turn to Meki and Ali, another cameleer, and ask: “How do you cook for even bigger groups?” They shrugged. Some secrets will remain here.

When I’m at home, I stand in my kitchen and think of these meals, as well as the shifting sands and the faithful camels. I try to recreate the rich comfort of that lamb stew. Without an enchanting golla of my own, I prepare my stew in a sturdy cast iron pot, which I cover tightly and transfer to the oven to cook slow and mellow. I immediately regret that mine will lack the irreplicable scent of woodsmoke, but instead I focus on the elements that seem consistent in a koucha’s preparation, in and out of the desert—earthy vegetables like carrots and potatoes cut uniformly and arranged in a spiral over the lamb; the thick strips of pepper that add color; and the indispensable ras-el-hanout, that essential North African spice mix.

I know the tightly-shut pot will mimic the effect of the golla. I’ve had similar, equally-worthy stews made in city kitchens in Tunis, the capital city. But without ras-el-hanout, I’d lose the essence of the koucha—that's when I improvise and make my own, loosely based on the flavors I recall perfuming our desert meals: cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, and the musk of fresh-crushed cardamom. The cameleers are a mirage at the edge of my counter, cheering me on. After all, if they can pull out a feast from a saddle bag, perhaps I can do so in a fully-fitted kitchen on the other side of the world.

Tunisian Lamb Stew (Koucha)

View Recipe

Ingredients

2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	red onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2	pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes, or purchase pre-cut lamb stew meat (with bones, if possible)
8	cloves garlic, sliced thickly
1	teaspoon turmeric
2-3	teaspoons ras-el-hanout
1	teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
2	sprigs rosemary, leaves destalked
1/3	cup thyme, de-stemmed
1	cup parsley, coarsely chopped
2	large tomatoes, roughly chopped
2	large potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
2	large green or red bell peppers, cut into thick strips
500	milliliters (about 2 cups) vegetable or lamb stock, plus extra salt, to taste
3	boiled eggs (optional)

2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	red onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2	pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes, or purchase pre-cut lamb stew meat (with bones, if possible)
8	cloves garlic, sliced thickly
1	teaspoon turmeric
2-3	teaspoons ras-el-hanout
1	teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
2	sprigs rosemary, leaves destalked

1/3	cup thyme, de-stemmed
1	cup parsley, coarsely chopped
2	large tomatoes, roughly chopped
2	large potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
2	large green or red bell peppers, cut into thick strips
500	milliliters (about 2 cups) vegetable or lamb stock, plus extra salt, to taste
3	boiled eggs (optional)

What's a meal you've tasted on your travels that you've attempted to recreate at home? Let us know in the comments!