Hakima
Born: Casablanca, Morocco, 1968
Lives: New York, USA
Mother tongue: Moroccan dialect
Grandchildren: Verdaus, Mohammed
They call her: Nani
I’ve been doing this food since I was 12. It’s a tradition from Casablanca in Morocco, where I’m from. My grandmother and my mother taught me a lot of the dishes I know best but my father was a special man too. Even he taught me how to make specific couscous. Once when my parents fell out, my father learned to make couscous just in case he was left without his dinner again.
I’m really not into measurements. I use my eye and my hand to feel the food. Everything I do, I do it with feeling. It means cooking with your heart rather than being too prescriptive.
I’ve been in America for 22 years. I needed to challenge myself. I had a good job and a good life in Morocco but my friends kept telling me my mind and rebellious attitude did not belong in Morocco - they said I belonged in the USA. I was quite arrogant at the time, I think.
I was born on Valentine’s day but I think its the curse of being born on that day, because I really have not been lucky in love. I found love once but I think the timing wasn’t right. I do have two children though and beautiful granddaughter and grandson in Morocco.
Where I’m from, we don’t ever serve just one dish. If you’re invited to my home in Morocco, I would really not ever serve you just a single thing. We really lay on a feast for you. We love to serve main dishes and then side salads and lots of side dishes. This eggplant salad is just a tiny part of a huge feast I would make for guests.
My mum used to make this recipe but I never liked the way she did it so I had to find my way. I always have my own take on dishes. I like to eat and enjoy the food I’m eating and I want to serve people the food I love to eat.
I go back to Morocco every two years for a month. I miss the fresh vegetables and fresh fruit the most. There we eat everything in season. It’s not like in the USA where we can get hold of everything and anything all year round. It tastes better when it’s seasonal. Now is the season for the zucchini, carrots and apples - the smell is insane that comes from them. I remember back in the day my mum would hide the apples from us because she knew we’d eat them right away if we found them. We used to just follow the smell. Here, the fruit doesn’t have that aroma.
I’ve tried to assimilate and make friends here but I find it so hard. I’m too honest I think. People can’t take how direct I am sometimes. If I am your friend, I have to say when something offends me or when I think you’re doing something wrong. I have to say it when I see something that isn’t right. I live my life with a lot of honesty. The people that have come and gone in my life are the people that wanted me to tell them what pleases them - and I didn’t.
The reason I left Morocco was I needed something new. Everyone warned me it would be overwhelming but I grew up in Casablanca. It’s the financial capital. All the buildings were big there and I came from a huge city. It wasn’t an enormous change for me.
When I came here I thought, hmmm what the hell? I’ll see what happens. So here I am.
Turmeric and ginger are the most important ingredients in Moroccan dishes. We seem to use these two all the time. I also have some things I just make my own. Like aged butter, which gives the food a real kick. Or I preserve my own lemon rind, to use in certain dishes. In Morocco all use buttermilk, adding add salt and oregano to it. We leave it in a ceramic container and leave it for as long as possible in a cool place. The darker the colour, the better it is. It doesn’t go in the fridge.
The Moroccan cooking can’t be found anywhere else. It stands out beyond all Arabic countries. It’s so special and unique. It’s the second best food in the world after french - according to the experts. I think French food is so boring but people who rate food say it’s the best. Anyway, according to them, Moroccan is second best in the world. I’m happy with that.
