🇲🇦 Moroccan Cuisine

كسكس

Couscous

Prep Time 90 min
Servings 8
Difficulty Medium
Calories 464 kcal

Light, fluffy semolina steamed to perfection and topped with a fragrant seven-vegetable stew — Morocco's sacred Friday tradition eaten communally by hand.

Ingredients

  • 500g medium couscous
  • 500g lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
  • 2 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut into large chunks
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 large onions, quartered
  • 3 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ras el hanout
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Fresh cilantro for garnish
  • Harissa paste for serving

Instructions

  1. 1 Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a couscoussier or large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb chunks on all sides for five to six minutes until deeply golden. Remove the meat and set aside while you build the aromatic vegetable broth.
  2. 2 In the same pot, sauté the quartered onions for four minutes until softened. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, turmeric, ginger, and ras el hanout, stirring for two minutes until the spices are fragrant and the tomatoes begin to break down.
  3. 3 Return the lamb to the pot and add enough water to cover by five centimetres. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for forty-five minutes. Add the carrots and turnips after the first thirty minutes so they cook without becoming mushy.
  4. 4 Place the dry couscous in a large shallow bowl and moisten with salted water, raking with your fingers to separate the grains. Set the couscous in the steamer basket above the simmering stew and steam uncovered for twenty minutes until fluffy and tender.
  5. 5 Remove the couscous to a bowl, break up any clumps with a fork, and drizzle with olive oil and a ladleful of broth. Toss to separate every grain. Add the zucchini and drained chickpeas to the stew below and cook for another fifteen minutes.
  6. 6 Return the couscous to the steamer for a second steaming of fifteen minutes over the bubbling stew. This double-steaming technique ensures each grain is perfectly light, separate, and infused with the aromatic steam rising from the spiced lamb and vegetables.
  7. 7 Mound the fluffy couscous on a large serving platter and create a well in the centre. Arrange the lamb and vegetables artfully on top, then ladle the rich broth generously over everything. Garnish with cilantro and serve harissa on the side.

Did You Know?

Couscous is served every Friday after prayers — refusing an invitation is considered bad luck.

From The Culinary Codex — http://theculinarycodex.com/dish/moroccan/couscous/