Vegetable couscous

Name: Vegetable couscous
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Marroquí
Ingredients: 400 g Chickpeas; 6 tablespoons Olive oil; 3 u Tomato; 2 u Onion; 4 u Carrot; 2 u Courgette; Salt; 1 teaspoon Black pepper; 1 bunch Coriander; 0.25 u Cabbage; 1 bunch Parsley; 400 g Pumpkin; 1 pinch Saffron; 500 g Couscous; 1 teaspoon Turmeric; 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger; 2 u Turnips; 1 teaspoon Ras el hanout; 2.5 l Water

Cuscús de verduras

Medium

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 85 min
Servings: 6

Summary

Couscous steamed three times until light and fluffy, with a stew of seven vegetables, chickpeas and Moroccan spices. The dish that brings families together on Fridays in Morocco, here in a meat-free version.

Ingredients

6 servings

Add to Bring!

400 g Chickpeas (cooked and drained (one large jar))
6 tablespoons Olive oil (4 for the stew and 2 for the couscous)
3 u Tomato (ripe, grated)
2 u Onion (thinly sliced)
4 u Carrot (peeled and halved lengthways)
2 u Courgette (in large chunks)
Salt (to taste, for the broth and the couscous water)
1 teaspoon Black pepper (ground)
1 bunch Coriander (fresh)
0.25 u Cabbage (a quarter, cut into wedges that hold together)
1 bunch Parsley (tied together with the coriander)
400 g Pumpkin (in large chunks, skin on or off)
1 pinch Saffron (threads) (optional)
500 g Couscous (medium grain)
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
2 u Turnips (peeled and quartered)
1 teaspoon Ras el hanout
2.5 l Water (about 2 litres for the broth and the rest for moistening the couscous)

Instructions

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in the base of the couscoussier or in a large pot. Soften the onion for a few minutes, then add the grated tomato, ras el hanout, ginger, turmeric, saffron, pepper and salt and cook until the tomato has lost its water.
10 min
Pour in about 2 litres of water, add the carrots, turnips and herb bundle and bring to the boil. Keep it over medium heat, covered, while you prepare the couscous.
10 min
Put the couscous in a wide dish, sprinkle it with a glass of salted water (about 200 ml) and a tablespoon of oil and rub it between your palms so every grain is moistened without forming lumps. Leave it to rest until the water is absorbed.
10 min
Transfer it loosely to the top part of the couscoussier, without pressing it down, and set it over the pot. If steam escapes from the join, seal it with a strip of damp cloth. Count 15 minutes from when the steam rises through the top of the grain.
15 min
Tip the couscous back into the dish and break up the lumps with a wooden spoon, then with your hands as soon as it is cool enough to touch. Sprinkle with another glass of salted water, rub it again and leave it to rest. Meanwhile, add the pumpkin and cabbage to the stew.
10 min
Return the couscous to the top part for a second steaming and add the courgette and chickpeas to the stew.
15 min
Tip the couscous out again, add the last tablespoon of oil and work it with your hands until there are no lumps left. Give it a final steaming: it should be tender, fluffy and with every grain separate. Check that all the vegetables are tender, remove the herb bundle and taste the broth for salt.
10 min
Pile the couscous on a large platter, make a well in the centre and arrange the vegetables on top in a pyramid, with the chickpeas around them. Spoon over a few ladlefuls of broth and serve the rest separately so everyone can add as much as they like.
5 min

Notes

In Morocco couscous is the Friday dish: it is made in the morning and eaten at midday, after prayers, with everyone gathered round one large shared platter. Seven-vegetable couscous is one of the best loved, and the vegetables change with the season: broad beans, sweet potato, aubergine or peppers all fit in. Traditionally the grain is steamed several times in a couscoussier, over the stew itself: between steamings it is moistened and loosened by hand, so each grain swells separately. Without a couscoussier, fit a metal colander over a pan of the same diameter and seal the gap with a damp cloth; if the holes are large, line it with muslin. The quickest shortcut is the one on the packet of pre-cooked couscous: pour over the same volume of boiling broth, cover for five minutes and fluff it up with a fork and a little oil; it is good, if less light. Many households finish the grain with butter or smen, Moroccan aged butter; with oil, as here, the dish is vegan. Put harissa or chilli on the table for anyone who wants some heat. The stew keeps for 3 days in the fridge and freezes well; reheat the couscous by steaming or in the microwave, sprinkled with a little water.