NOMVEX food / World Atlas

Algeria · main · English edition

Algerian couscous

Semolina steamed three times over a pot of meat and vegetables, with the broth served apart.

6 servings · 160 minutes (estimated)

Algerian couscous
Photo: Slothtysloth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · image source

Ingredients

Quantities for 6 servings.

  • 700 g Couscous
  • 1 kg Lamb, on the bone, in pieces
  • 200 g Chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • 4 piece Carrots
  • 3 piece Turnips
  • 3 piece Courgettes
  • 400 g Pumpkin
  • 2 piece Onion
  • 2 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Ras el hanout
  • 80 g Butter
  • 80 ml Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Harissa, to serve
  • to taste Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Brown the meat with the onion in the base of the couscoussier, add the tomato paste, spices and chickpeas and cover with water. Cook an hour.
  2. Sprinkle the couscous with water and oil and rub it between your hands so the grains separate. Steam it fifteen minutes.
  3. Turn the grain into a wide dish, sprinkle again, rake it apart and let it cool five minutes.
  4. Return it to the steam for fifteen more minutes. Meanwhile add the carrot and turnip to the broth.
  5. Rake it a third time, working in the butter, and steam it a final ten minutes.
  6. Add the courgette and pumpkin to the broth for the last twenty minutes; they cook faster than the roots.
  7. Mound the couscous, meat and vegetables on top. Serve the broth in a separate bowl and the harissa in a third.
Recipe data adapted from UniTools, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: page design, formatting and integration in NOMVEX Food. This adapted recipe text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Image credit and its separate licence are shown below the photo, where available.