About This Dish
A signature Fassi dish that tops fluffy couscous with tfaya — a magnificent crown of deeply caramelized onions cooked with honey, cinnamon, and golden raisins until they become a sweet, jammy compote. The contrast between the savory, buttered couscous and the sweet onion topping is extraordinary. Tfaya represents the pinnacle of Moroccan sweet-savory cooking and is a defining dish of Fes cuisine. Traditionally served at celebrations, this dish requires patience and skill to achieve the proper deep mahogany color and sticky, candied texture of the onion topping.
Ingredients
- 500 g Couscous (medium grain)
- 750 g Lamb or chicken
- 1.5 kg Onions, thinly sliced
- 200 g Golden raisins
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Saffron threads
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- 80 g Butter
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Powdered sugar
- to taste Salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1
Cook meat with half the onions, saffron, ginger, olive oil, salt, pepper, and water to cover. Simmer 1.5 hours.
- 2
Meanwhile, prepare tfaya: cook remaining onions in butter over very low heat for 45 minutes until deeply caramelized.
- 3
Add honey, cinnamon, raisins, and powdered sugar to the onions. Cook 15 more minutes until jammy and dark.
- 4
Steam couscous three times, raking with butter between each steaming.
- 5
Mound couscous on a platter. Place meat in the center.
- 6
Crown generously with the tfaya onion mixture. Dust with cinnamon.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a staggering amount of onions — they reduce by 80% during cooking.
- The tfaya must be cooked on the lowest possible heat to caramelize without burning.
- The onions should be nearly black and sticky — this is correct, not burnt.
- Some families add a splash of orange blossom water to the tfaya for extra fragrance.