I have used couscous for many years in my dishes. It is part of a different cuisine – the Moroccan cuisine. This meant that I only made couscous according to the British way (a couscous salad or with roasted vegetables), which is hardly traditional… Another example is the famous British curry- it is so different from the curry served in India… For once, I thought that it would be a good idea to explore the Moroccan cuisine in a more traditional way..hence, making Cous Cous with Moroccan Vegetable Tagine 😉 I and my family loved this flavour-packed vegetable stew. It seems a long list, but is actually quite simple to make, and makes it look like you have spent a lot of time on it ;). With this dish, I got a chance to use dried fruits in my main meal – this, in turn, made the dish spicy yet sweet at the same time. Plus point for this dish is that Beans and chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, even better when they are eaten with grains such as wheat and rice… You will need for the vegetable tagine:
1 cup butternut squash – peeled, seeded and cubed 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 cup carrots – cubed 1/2 cup french beans – chopped 1/2 cup red pepper – chopped 1 cup cooked chickpeas – drained 1 red onion – chopped 2-3 cloves garlic – finely chopped 1 tsp fresh ginger paste 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground cumin and coriander 3-4 green cardamom pods 1-2 bay leaves 250 ml boiling vegetable stock (i used a stock cube) 5 -6 dried apricots – roughly chopped raisins – about a handful 3 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander
You will need for the Spicy couscous:
300 g couscous
450ml boiling vegetable stock(used vegetable stock cube) 1tbsp olive oil 1 tsp harissa paste 1 tsp ground cumin and coriander here I added my soaked saffron
Method:- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes or until changing the colour. Toss in the garlic and ginger and cook for a few seconds. Add squash, carrots, french beans, red pepper and tomatoes and all the spices and bay leaves. Pour the boiling stock and add the raisins and apricot, then cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the couscous. in a large bowl tip the couscous, pour the stock and add oil, harissa paste and spices. leave until the liquid has been completely absorbed, then fork the mixture through to separate the grains. Now add the chickpeas and stir and cook 5 minutes more or until all the veggies are tender but still retain their shape and texture. Now add finely 2 tbsp chopped coriander into a stew. Turn off the heat. Stew is ready. Tip the couscous onto a platter. Pile the vegetable stew on top of the couscous and scatter over the chopped coriander.
