Recipe for Moroccan Couscous

Moroccan cuisine is very delicious, original, and rich in flavor, slightly spicy, simple, and nourishing. It has something to offer to the most refined taste. The ingredients that are normally used are the ones being produced in the country itself. That’s why the dishes are abundant with fruits and vegetables.

The most preferred meat is chicken, veal, beef, and lamb with the exception of pork that is typical for the religion. Very important ingredients for the uniqueness of the dishes are lemons, dates, olive oils, almonds, and figs.

One of the most typical dishes is couscous. Traditionally, it’s prepared on Friday and at the end of the month of Ramadan as well as for celebrating of a newborn or a wedding. There are many variations of dishes prepared with couscous and some of the most interesting ones are those that are a combination of salty and sweet- for example couscous with meat, caramelized onions, chickpeas, beef, or chicken. The most prepared couscous dish is the one with meat and seven vegetables.

Recipe for Moroccan couscous

Moroccan couscous with meat and seven vegetables (10 servings):

– 1 kg couscous,
– 1 kg lamb or veal,
– 1 small white cabbage,
– 1 kg onions,
– 4-5 tomatoes,
– 500g pumpkin or zucchini
– 250 grams of white radish,
– 250 grams of eggplant,
– 500 g carrots,
– 2 chili peppers,
– Butter or olive oil and stock for the couscous,
– Coriander,
– Black pepper,
– Saffron,
– Pinch of salt

Put the meat in a saucepan and slow cook. Add 2 onions thinly sliced, the cabbage cut in patches, the oil, the saffron, the black pepper, and the salt. Add water. The vegetables are cut into large, oblong pieces and the onion –in quarters. Peel the eggplant.

When the meat is half cooked put the vegetables in order of cooking. Start with adding the carrots, the turnip, and the tomatoes, then add the onions and finally the eggplant, zucchini, and chili peppers. If you plan on adding a pumpkin, cook it separately with some stock. The sauce to finish the couscous needs to be more like a beef soup- not too watery. Generally, you should cover the meat with the vegetables.