Couscous bil Bosla — Print Recipe

Steamed semolina couscous crowned with a rich lamb and vegetable stew featuring chickpeas, potatoes, and pumpkin. This is the Friday staple of Libyan family tables.

Ingredients

500g medium couscous
500g lamb shoulder, cubed
2 onions, diced
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 potatoes, quartered
200g pumpkin, cubed
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp bzaar spice blend
Water for steaming

Instructions

1 Brown lamb cubes in olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook until soft. Stir in tomato paste, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, and bzaar.
2 Add water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes until lamb is tender.
3 Add potatoes, pumpkin, and chickpeas. Cook 20 more minutes until vegetables are soft.
4 Meanwhile, moisten couscous with salted water and steam in a couscoussier over the stew for 20 minutes, fluffing twice.
5 Mound couscous on a large platter, make a well in the center, and ladle stew, meat, and vegetables into it.
6 Serve family-style with harissa on the side for those who want extra heat.

Did You Know?

In Libya, couscous is so central to identity that the saying goes: "A home without couscous on Friday is not a Libyan home."