Authentic Moroccan Couscous

      This authentic Moroccan Couscous features fluffy steamed Couscous topped with stewed meat, savoury vegetables, and a sweet onion-raisin sauce! Couscous makes a hearty mind-blowing dish at every party! It is flavourful, insanely delicious, and packed with protein and healthy veggies!

What is Couscous?

Couscous is a North African dish of steamed crushed durum wheat semolina. It is usually served with stewed meat, vegetables, or both. In Morocco, Couscous is served during baptisms, weddings, and special occasions. However, most families gather around a large communal couscous dish every Friday.

Couscous makes a versatile dish that you can customize to taste. If you are not a fan, you may substitute potatoes for turnips or skip the meat altogether to make it vegetarian.

While the recipes differ from city to city and family, the most common varieties in Morocco include Couscous with seven vegetables and Couscous with TFAYA. Wondering what “TFAYA” is? Keep reading!

Moroccan Couscous with Meat, Seven Vegetables, and TFAYA!

My favourite couscous recipe includes chicken, seven vegetables, and a delicious ‘TFAYA’! TFAYA is a sweetened sauce made with raisins, slow-cooked caramelized onions, and a ginger-cinnamon blend! This classic couscous garnish is an absolute favourite in our house; our Couscous is always topped with a generous scoop of TFAYA!

Couscous Ingredients

1.   For the Stew:

·         The meat – I love mixing chicken breast and drumsticks because it’s convenient, healthy, and super delicious! Alternatively, you may use a whole chicken, lamb, or beef or skip the meat.

·         The Seven Vegetables – although veggies’ selection differs from family to family, the most common vegetables used for Couscous are potatoes, carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, cabbage, chickpeas, and fava beans. Other options include pumpkins and turnips. Veggies add a unique, rich flavour to the overall taste. Therefore, try to have a variety of vegetables.

·         The spices – the secret to authentic Moroccan Couscous is only using a few simple spices! Forget about ‘RASS-El-HANNOUT’, cardamom, and other strong seasonings! All you need is curcuma, ginger, salt, and pepper!

·         What else? There is no Moroccan cooking without olive oil, crushed garlic cloves, and chopped onions. Therefore, make sure you have these on hand. Finally, if you would rather have spicy Couscous, you may add chili pepper.

2.   For the TFAYA: 

·         White onions

·         Raisins

·         Olive oil

·         Granular sugar (optional)

·         Ginger, cinnamon, salt, and curcuma

3.   For the Couscous:

·         Dry Couscous – you may buy it from your local Middle Eastern store. If you don’t live near one, 

·         Olive oil

·         Water

·         Salt

·         Unsalted butter or ghee.

Do I Really Need a Couscoussier?

A Couscoussier is a traditional Moroccan food steamer made of two interlocking pots. While the first bottom pot holds the stew and broth used to produce the steam, the second pot holds the couscous grains.

Ideally, both the Couscous and stew are cooked using the ‘couscoussier’. However, you may use a universal steamer set over a stockpot if you do not have a couscoussier. If so, you may follow the same steps as the couscoussier instructions highlighted in the recipe below. Otherwise, you may cook your meat and veggies using a Dutch oven and your couscous grains using a bowl of hot water and a microwave. This last option is not ideal, but it works! Here is how you can make it work!

Making Couscous using a Dutch oven and a Microwave!

·         To start with, preheat a Dutch oven on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Next, add olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, and seasonings. Stir and sauté for 5 min or until the onions soften.

·         Add chicken, brown for 5 min, flip, and brown for a few more minutes. Pour in 1-cup water, cover, and cook for 15 min. Add cabbage and 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

·         Next, add the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots to the bottom pot and cook for 10 minutes. Add more water, but just enough for the veggies to cook if needed. Add zucchini and chickpeas and cook for five more minutes.

·         In a large bowl, combine dry couscous grains with 1 tsp salt and 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and mix with your hands until it is all combined. Add 1 cup of HOT water over the couscous mixture, and let it absorb water for 5 minutes without mixing it. Fluff your Couscous with your hands and place in a microwave for 3 minutes, covered with a paper towel.

·         Remove your couscous bowl from the microwave and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 cup hot water. Stir your Couscous with a wooden spoon and place it back in the microwave for 3 minutes. Repeat this step one more time. Finally, add unsalted butter and adjust the saltiness to taste.

·         Fluff your Couscous with your hands and place it on a large communal dish or individual plates and serve your Couscous following the next instructions!

Serving Authentic Moroccan Couscous

In Morocco, serving Couscous the right way is important:

·         First, we shape Couscous into a mound and dig a well in the centre.

·         Second, we put the meat into the well and place the vegetables all around. Then, we pour some of the incredibly rich broth over the Couscous, meat, and veggies.

·         Third, we distribute the beans and chickpeas and scoop a large amount of TFAYA over the top.

·         We love serving Couscous with broth bowls, TFAYA bowls, and glasses of cold buttermilk on the side! Yum! ‘Bessaha’, Bon Appétit, Enjoy!