Kitchen · Main dishes
Couscous with seven vegetables
The Friday dish. Three steamings make the grain light; the broth does the rest.
- Preparation30 min
- Cooking2 h
- Total2 h 30 min
- Serves8
Ingredients
| 1 kg | medium couscous |
| 1 kg | lamb or beef, shoulder or shank, in large pieces |
| 2 | onions, quartered |
| 3 | ripe tomatoes, grated |
| 200 g | chickpeas, soaked overnight |
| 4 | carrots, halved lengthways |
| 3 | turnips, halved |
| 300 g | white cabbage, in one wedge |
| 3 | courgettes, halved |
| 500 g | pumpkin, in large chunks |
| bunch | coriander and parsley, tied together |
| 1 tsp | ground ginger |
| 1 tsp | turmeric |
| 1 tsp | black pepper |
| pinch | saffron |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 tbsp | smen or butter, for the grain |
| 3 l | water |
| salt |
Method
- In the bottom of the couscous pot, brown the meat with the onions, oil, spices and salt for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, herb bundle and water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the couscous in a wide dish. Sprinkle with a glass of lightly salted water and a spoonful of oil, rub between your hands to separate the grains, and rest for 10 minutes.
- First steaming: set the steamer on the pot and steam the couscous for 20 minutes, counted from when steam comes through the grain.
- Tip the couscous back into the dish, break up the lumps, sprinkle with another glass of water and fluff. Add the carrots, turnips and cabbage to the broth. Steam the grain a second time for 20 minutes.
- Fluff again with a little water. Add the courgettes and pumpkin to the broth. Steam a third time for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Work the smen or butter into the hot couscous. Mound it in a large dish, make a well, put the meat in the middle and arrange the vegetables on top. Ladle over some broth and serve the rest in a bowl.
Tip
For a festive version, top with tfaya: onions cooked slowly with raisins, honey and cinnamon.