Couscous with veggies (beef, chicken)
Last update November 18, 2024
beef
chicken
vegan
vegetarian
- Cooking time : ~2 hours
Couscous is a staple in North African cuisine, particularly in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It’s a versatile and delicious grain that can be served as a side dish or a main course, often paired with stews, tagines, or vegetables.
Cultural Context
Traditional Dish: Couscous has been a staple of North African cuisine for centuries. Traditionally, it is steamed multiple times and is considered a labor of love.
Modern Adaptations: Today, couscous is enjoyed globally and is often prepared quickly and easily with boiling water.
Couscous is a versatile and quick dish that can be adapted to suit many different tastes and meal types. Whether you’re looking for a simple side dish or a flavorful main course, couscous offers a great base for a variety of ingredients and flavors.
Here’s a guide to making couscous from scratch, along with some variations and serving suggestions:
Required Ingredients
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- 2 onions
- 4 large carrots
- 2 zucchini
- 1 to 2 grated tomatoes (sauce)
- 4 turnips
- 1 small bunch of parsley and coriander
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of ginger
- 2 teaspoons of turmeric
- salt
- 1kg of medium- or small-sized couscous
Optional Ingredients
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- cumin
- Ras el hanoute
- paprika
- pepper
- ginger
- lemon
- A large glass of dried chickpeas (optional)
- cabbage and eggplant (be careful; they color the sauce).
- 2 teaspoons full of Rass el Hanout (optional)
Cooking Instructions
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Peeling and cutting vegetables
- Peel and chop carrots lengthwise into large pieces.
- Also, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.
- Cut the onions into large cubes after peeling.
- Additionally, cut turnips in half lengthwise.
- Do not chop the parsley or coriander bunch; just clean it.
- All vegetables (except soft vegetables) should be placed in the lower part of the cooking pot. Not any soft veggies like courgette, tomatoes, or tomato sauce
- Add the bunch of parsley
- Add all the spices and oils above
- To fully blend all the spices, cook on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- To make the sauce, pour four letters of water after about five minutes of turning.
- Turn down to medium and let us get the couscous ready.
- The dried couscous should be placed in a large bowl and rubbed with your fingers. Wet your fingers and give them a light rub. It would be dry and unable to cook if the couscous was not moisturized.
- Let it sit for five minutes, then transfer it to the colander and cook it on the lower rack.
- Cook it on low heat for twenty-five minutes.
- Once the 25 minutes are up, take just the colander and move the couscous back into the bowl you previously used. Avoid touching the couscous with your hands, as it will be hot. Using a spoon, mix the couscous in the bowl to slightly cool it down.
- At this stage, the couscous should have cooled down enough that you can touch it. Lightly mist the couscous with a small amount of water. If you mist the couscous too much, it will become doughy.
- Use both hands to perform the same action, and rub it with your fingers for at least three minutes.
- The vegetables are still being cooked on low heat up until this point.
- Re-fill the colander with the couscous and cook for at least thirty minutes. Keep an eye on the vegetables as well as the couscous until it evaporates. If necessary, you can add more water to the vegetables.
- Once the half hour has passed, move the couscous back into the bowl, cool it using the same method, spray it with olive oil this time, rub it with your fingers, and put it aside to work on something else.
- Prior to placing the couscous back onto the flame for the final time. After that, we take the tomato sauce and pour it over the vegetables that are still burning. Make sure to include any soft vegetables, like pumpkin or zucchini (courgette), as they cook quickly.
- For at least fifteen minutes, put the couscous on the fire one last time and allow it to evaporate.
- According to the amount of couscous, place the couscous in a large dish. When it is hot, use a spoon to open it, and then form it into a pyramid. Arrange the vegetables as the above picture indicates. When the couscous is finally dry, add a final drizzle of the remaining vegetable sauce, setting aside a small amount in case you need it.
Notes
- Unlike the vegetables we use in the tagine, the vegetables we use with couscous are cut lengthwise and large in size.
- Carrots are a hard vegetable that takes the longest to cook, so we always start there.
- Since they cook quickly, the vegetables that are easiest to prepare, like courgette and pumpkin, are added last. The same is true with tomato sauce.
- We do not always use 4 liters of water; it depends on how many vegetables you add to the couscous. For every vegetable, use twice as much water. What matters most is that the water completely submerges all of the vegetables. You can also add boiling water if the water level drops while cooking.
