It’s rather funny that when I lived in Morocco for a while, I learned to make couscous not from the locals (because those who knew how to make it could not explain it to me in a language I understood), but from a recipe I found online. I modified it by watching the locals and the way they prepare it, but that’s not where I got the explanations. Anyway, this is how I learned to make it, which is a fusion of the two ways, later modified for the tools available stateside.
Ingredients
- 1 kg couscous
- veggies of your choice – in Morocco, I always used carrots and zucchini, sometimes with tomatoes or a chunk of meat, but back home, I also learned that broccoli, yellow squash, cauliflower, and bell peppers work well
- meat (optional – personally, I prefer vegetarian couscous)
- food coloring (optional – I don’t know what they used was called exactly, but turmeric works well here if you want it to look more yellow)
- oil (I like olive oil for that Mediterranean taste, but any will do)
- water
Instructions
I will describe several ways to make couscous here, depending on what you have available.
Method #1 – the traditional method (must have a steamer or rice cooker)
The best way to make couscous is to steam it several times, fluffing it in between. You start by adding water to the bottom part of the steamer or rice cooker and turning it on. Then place the couscous into a large bowl, adding about 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 glass of water (about 8 oz), and working the couscous with your hands until everything is evenly combined. When the mixture is homogeneous, carefully begin dropping handfuls into the top part of the steamer or rice cooker. You will lose some grains through the holes and that’s ok – you can place the top section onto a plate to catch the grains and put them back.
Tip: the old cookware in Morocco required a thin strip of wet cloth on the outer rim of the top section so that the steam does not escape on the sides but goes directly up, but I have not needed to that back home, so just check what you have – if steam escapes due to deformities, this might be necessary.
While the couscous is steaming for the first time, prepare the vegetables. Lightly peel or scrub the carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash with a knife (you don’t need to do this to baby carrots) – you don’t want to remove all of the skin, just make them a bit softer and get rid of the dirtier areas. Then cut the veggies lengthwise into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Broccoli and cauliflower can be cut as florets and bell peppers as strips.
If you are using meat (beef, chicken, and lamb work well), it’s best to use boneless. Just cut the thawed meat into the sizes you want, leave the fat, and you are ready.
About 15 minutes after the couscous has been placed on the steam, remove it and empty into the large bowl. It will be very hot, but try to separate it so it cools quicker. Let it cool while you place the hard vegetables (carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash) into the boiling water of the bottom section. Now is also the time to add the turmeric and meat, if you chose to use them.
Go back to the couscous and fluff it with your hands, removing any clumps you encounter. The more thorough you are with removing the clumps, the better the end result will be. Again, the couscous will be very hot, so take your time and rest your hands under cool water, or wait a bit longer. I can assure you that you get used to the heat, but it really is quite jarring the first few times. When you think you got all the clumps, add another glass of water and work through the couscous to distribute the water evenly.
Tip: if you are in a rush or the hot couscous is really hurting your hands, add the water before breaking up the clumps.
Place the couscous back into the top section carefully, but you will notice that less grains fall through now because of the more plump couscous. Place it on the boiling water again and wait another 15-20 minutes. When you take the couscous off, make sure you have enough water on the bottom and add more if it’s boiling away.
Repeat with the separation of clumps, then add 2 glasses of water and work through the couscous again. Place the soft vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and bell peppers) into the boiling water, place the couscous on top, and let everything cook for another 30 minutes.
Tip: depending on the size of your steamer or rice cooker, you might actually need to separate the couscous at this point and steam the last part in two batches because of how plump it gets!
When the couscous is done, you should be able to just pour it onto a place, lightly separate it, and add the vegetables. The veggies should be so soft that you can easily cut them with a spoon as you scoop the couscous. Where I stayed in Morocco, they placed the vegetables vertically from the sides to meet in the center, like 4-pointed a star. The meat is placed on the top in one piece. But you can arrange it any way you want or even mix everything. Also pour some of the water the veggies boiled in over the whole plate and you are done! This process usually takes me 2-2.5 hours total, but it’s so worth it.
Method #2 – the quickie method (must have a steamer or rice cooker)
The quickie method is obviously not as good as the traditional because you are cutting a lot of corners, but it might work for you if you don’t want to spent 2 hours making it. However, the couscous sold in the U.S. is probably going to produce pretty good results since it’s more refined than what we had in Morocco.
The first step is to set the steamer or rice cooker to boil the water. While it’s boiling, prepare the couscous. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, about 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 glass (about 8 oz) of water. Mix everything with your hands to make sure the liquids are distributed evenly in the couscous. Let sit while you prepare the vegetables.
Follow the same method of vegetable preparation as described in the traditional method since that part does not change. Again, it’s up to you which veggies to use – you can use all of the ones I listed, some of them, or add your own depending on taste. Just remember that they will be boiling for a while, so pick those that won’t fall completely apart. Place the hard vegetables into the boiling water, as well as meat and turmeric, if you decide to use them.
While the vegetables are cooking, add another glass of water to the couscous and work through it with your hands. If you can add a third glass of water to it without turning the mixture into a soup, go ahead as it will cook better with more water, but you also don’t want the couscous to be so runny that it falls out of the top section of the steamer or rice cooker. When you are done, carefully place the couscous into the top section and then onto the boiling water.
After about 20-30 minutes, remove the couscous and place the soft vegetables into the bottom section and put the couscous back on top. Wait another 30 minutes and check if the couscous is done. If it’s to your liking, you can remove it and fluff it on the plate; otherwise, let it cook a little longer until you are satisfied with it. Again, it won’t be as light and fluffy as the traditional method, so keep that in mind. The vegetables should be soft enough that you can cut through them with a spoon and the meat should be fully cooked.
Follow the same method of arranging the food on a plate as in the traditional method. This method usually takes me about 1.5 hours.
Method #3 – the modified quickie method
If you don’t have a steamer or rice cooker, or just want to cut down the cooking time even more, this last method should do it, but it might depend on the type of couscous you buy. I used it with the boxed kind as well as the grains you buy in bulk without problems, but I can’t guarantee the same in every location.
Fill two pots with water and set them on high to bring to a boil. One of the pots should have enough water for the veggies and meat to cook in, so about half the pot. The other should have enough water to cook the couscous – follow the quantities on the instructions if you have them, otherwise I use enough water to cover the couscous completely (about 3-4 cups per kg of couscous).
Since the couscous cooks relatively quickly with this method, I suggest you prepare the veggies and meat first. While the water is heating up, prepare the veggies and meat in the same way as described in the traditional method. When the water is boiling, add the veggies and meat and turmeric (if desired) to the water and cook until the meat is fully cooked and the veggies are soft enough to cut with a spoon. You can use the same order as described in the other two methods and cook the hard veggies first and then add the soft ones later so they don’t overcook.
When the couscous water is boiling, remove from heat and add couscous and about 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix everything, cover, and let sit until the veggies are done. Then arrange everything as described in the previous methods. I think the least time this method took was about 45 minutes, including preparation of the vegetables, but the vegetables were never as good as if they cook longer and the couscous is not as good as when it steams on the veggie-flavored water.
So that’s it! I know it was a bit long, but this is my full story with cooking couscous and I hope it’s helpful!
