Moroccan Couscous with Peppers and Chickpeas
A Great Traditional Dish for BBQs, Picnics and Parties
Aug 22, 2009
Most cooks use couscous as a savoury accompaniment to meals particularly serving it with vegetables, fish or meat. However, couscous is such a wonderfully versatile ingredient which is great when combined with an array of stocks, herbs, spices, fruits and nuts.
Like pasta and rice, couscous has a unique taste all of its own. It is also of good nutritional value to the body, enabling low-fat but tasty dishes to be created.
Traditionally the most popular Moroccan and North African staple, couscous is now a taste appreciated worldwide. So much so, couscous can now be found in all major supermarkets and when purchased in instant form will cook very quickly with little effort. Authentic couscous, also known as roughly-ground hard drum wheat, requires more time and steaming in a vessel called a couscoussiére.
Top Seven Tips for Cooking Couscous
- Make sure the right type of couscous is being used to ensure enough time has been planned for cooking. Consider whether it is instant or authentic couscous that suits a particular recipe.
- Couscous can be cooked in a similar fashion to rice.
- If a steamer is not available, line a heat-proof colander with cheesecloth and put inside a stockpot.
- When steaming couscous, do not cover the top of the pot as condensation drips can make the couscous grains become mushy.
- Couscous can also be eaten as a porridge. It is also great in salads or in desserts.
- Always ensure cooked couscous is eaten within a couple of days. It is possible to freeze cooked couscous for up to three months.
- 1 cup of dry couscous is equal to 3 cups cooked.
Jayne's Scrumptious Moroccan Couscous with Peppers and Chickpeas
An excellent dish for summer parties or picnics. It tastes great with crusty fresh bread and accompanies fish wonderfully.
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation and Cooking Time: 30mins
Ingredients
- 1 chopped sweet potato
- 1 sliced zucchini
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ quarter of a cup of water
- A can of chickpeas
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of uncooked couscous
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup raisins
Cooking Method
- Warm olive oil in a frying pan and then soften the sweet potato, zucchini and garlic for five minutes
- Mix the water, spices, peppers and chickpeas with the mixture. Cover and allow to simmer for another five minutes.
- Pour the uncooked couscous into a large saucepan and cover with water,
- Bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes, or until it becomes fluffy and light.
- Layer the beans and peppers over the couscous and serve piping hot.
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