Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Recipe 2/50 : Algeria: Algerian Couscous

We happened to do lots of travelling the past two weeks and now I'm so very busy unpacking,cleaning bla bla. I feel so tired and tired and tired that I almost forgot to post the recipe of the day.
This weekend was very special to me. My dad visited us for couple of days. It was just after a year I was seeing him, so heart was filled with happiness. Nothing can make you more happy than seeing your own family. Unfortunately I couldn't cook anything for my dad since, the hotel we stayed did not have the kitchen so ended up eating in hotels. 


Today lets tour to a country in in the Maghreb, Algeria. One the common dishes here is couscous. Its the healthiest grain-based product. Its a staple food throughout Algeria.  Most cooking is centered around spicy couscous which is served with long-simmered vegetables, meats and stews. Cooking couscous should be one of the easiest of all food and grains.
I made one the simple Algerian Couscous and here goes the recipe.


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Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
pepper to taste
1/2 cup vegetable stock
salt to taste
1 can (8 ounce size) tomato paste
4 whole cloves
3 medium zucchini medium size chunk
1 large carrot cut to medium chunks
2-3 medium potatoes [I used russet potato], skins on  cube size
1 red or green bell pepper cut chunk size
1 cup green peas
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup couscous
Method
Heat the Vegetable stock and and all the vegetables into the stock including green peas and tomatoes.
Add tomato paste, stir and simmer. 
Add all spices, and 1 cup of water ,cover and cook till the vegetables become soft and tender. This is the vegetable stew.[ Add more water if required ]
Put couscous in a bowl. Pour boiling water over couscous and wait about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Mix the stew and the couscous, serve and Enjoy!

8 comments:

  1. What a wonderful, flavorful side dish! It would pair well with so many entrees~

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  2. Healthy, simple & inviting couscous!!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  3. How lovely you were able to spend time with your dad, I am sure it was a wonderful visit :) I love this recipe and I have couscous in my pantry along with some of the other ingredients on hand, would love to try this :)

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avandia