Moroccan Chef Abdel Alaoui Brings Authentic Flavors to New Paris Restaurant

After Yemma, the famous canteens, Abdel Alaoui is opening the Choukran restaurant in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, just a stone’s throw from the Gare Saint-Lazare. The decor of the establishment refers to Marrakech: the same decor as that of the guardian’s hut at La Mamounia, the photos of Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj are displayed on the walls covered with slogans like ’Better to have the semolina than the seum’ or the famous "humorous license plates" like those plastered everywhere in the souks.

Moroccan meals are served at Choukran. Abdel Alaoui makes full use of recipes inspired by his mother, but also the know-how of Chez Lamine, a Marrakech institution. He offers his renowned Kazdal, a large typically Moroccan msemmen crepe filled with meat (chicken, merguez or kefta), a cucumber salad with orange blossom and a mixture of herbs and red cabbage, a "magic sauce", turmeric and lemon. He also offers a "bledwich", the base of which "is an orange blossom-scented brioche, on which we put nigella seeds. Normally it’s round, but here we’ve made it in length to give the impression of a hot dog," explains the Moroccan chef. The whole stuffed with beef worked in the style of tanjia.

"The historical peculiarity of this dish is to be prepared only by men. They would go to the butcher with a large earthenware jar on the way to the hammam. Inside, they would put veal, spices, lemon, saffron. On arrival, they would give the pot to the caretaker who would heat it in the fire throughout their hammam. And hop, when they came out the dish was cooked. They would go home saying: ’I prepared the meal!’ But in fact they had done nothing..." jokes Abdel Alaoui with Jeune Afrique.