Maakouda (Fried Potato Cakes)

Name: Maakouda (Fried Potato Cakes)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 700 g Floury potatoes; 3 Garlic cloves; 25 g Fresh parsley and coriander; 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Sweet paprika; 1/2 tsp Ground turmeric; 1/4 tsp Cayenne; 60 g Plain flour; 1 tsp Salt; 300 ml Oil for frying

Mashed potato spiked with garlic, cumin and a fistful of herbs, patted into little cakes, floured and shallow-fried crisp — Morocco's favourite cheap street snack.

Source

Recipe by Moroccan home kitchens · 🏺 Traditional · Moroccan household cooking

Maghrebi street food — Ma'quda (maakouda) is a Maghrebi fritter made from a potato-based batter, which can also carry garlic, hot pepper, egg and cheese. It is popular across North Africa, often sold as a fried snack or stuffed into bread as a sandwich. There is no single author; the spicing and whether egg is used vary cook to cook.

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The cookbook KEEP IT SIMPLE WITH CHA Moroccan Travel & food

⏱ 45 min🍽 4 servings🔥 260 kcal🇲🇦 Morocco🌶️

VeganVegetarianHalalDairy-freeNut-free

Steps

Boil the potato chunks in salted water 15–18 minutes until very soft, then drain well and let the steam die down for a minute.
💡 Drain them really dry. Wet mash makes a loose batter that spits and falls apart in the oil.
Mash smooth, then mix in the garlic, herbs, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, salt and about 2 tbsp of the flour.
With damp hands, shape the mixture into small flat cakes about 6 cm across and 1.5 cm thick.
Dust each cake all over in the remaining flour, shaking off the excess.
💡 The flour coat is the shell that crisps and holds the soft cake together. Without it the potato just breaks up in the pan.
Heat the oil to a medium-high shimmer. Fry the cakes in batches 2–3 minutes a side until deep golden and crisp.
Drain on paper and eat hot — plain, with a squeeze of lemon, or tucked into khobz with harissa and salad as a maakouda sandwich.

💡 Tips

Maakouda is fast-food cheap in Morocco, sold from fryers as a snack or stuffed into bread. For a richer version, dip each floured cake in beaten egg before frying — that is the common non-vegan street style.
Keep the cakes small and not too thick so the middle heats through before the crust burns. Big fat cakes brown outside while the centre stays cold and pasty.