Moroccan · Main
Couscous
Friday couscous done properly — grain steamed three times until each granule stands alone, seven vegetables poached in sequence so nothing overcooks, broth deepened with a nut of smen (or beurre noisette)
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- Medium couscous — 600 g
- Olive oil — 60 ml
- Fine sea salt — 22 g
- Water (for grain) — ~400 ml
- Onions, quartered — 200 g
- Carrots, thick batons — 300 g
- Turnips, wedges — 250 g
- Butternut squash, large chunks — 400 g
- Courgettes, thick logs — 300 g
- Cabbage, wedges — 300 g
- Chickpeas, cooked — 250 g
- Tomatoes, grated — 300 g
- Vegetable stock or water — 2000 ml
- Ground ginger — 5 g
- Turmeric — 4 g
- Saffron, steeped — 0.2 g
- Smen or brown butter — 30 g
- Coriander and parsley, tied — 25 g
Method
- Broth: simmer stock with tomato, onion, ginger, turmeric, saffron, herb bundle and 12 g salt, 15 min.
- First steaming: moisten couscous with 150 ml salted water and 30 ml oil, raking; steam uncovered over the broth (couscoussier or lined steamer) 15 min.
- Add carrots and turnips to the broth. Turn couscous out, rake with 120 ml water, rest 5 min; steam again 15 min.
- Add squash and cabbage; later courgettes and chickpeas (final 15 min) — each vegetable should finish just-tender together.
- Third steaming of the grain, 10 min; finish with remaining oil, salt and the smen, forked through until glossy.
- Check broth seasoning; it should be golden and lightly spicy.