Couscous with chicken
(The hard traditional recipe)
Click here for the (The easy nontraditional recipe)
Ingredients:
1 LB Couscous (not the instant kind)
1½ - 2 LB chicken pieces
2 med. sized onions, sliced
½ LB daikon (white radish), cut into 2-3" x 1" pieces
½ LB carrots, cut into 2-3" x 1" pieces
½ LB zucchini, cut into 2-3" x 1" pieces
¼ -1/2 head of cabbage, cut into large pieces
½ lb. pumpkin or squash with skin cut into 2-3" x 1" pieces
1 lg. tomato, chopped
½ can of chickpeas (or 1 C dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water)
1 T salt
2 t pepper
2 t ginger
2 t cumin, ground
2 t coriander (ground)
1 t red pepper
1 T turmeric
Fresh parsley (about 10 stems and leaves)
Fresh coriander (about 10 stems and leaves)Preparation
€ Moisten the Couscous with 1-1/2 cups of water, rubbing between hands to remove lumps; let sit for 1/2 hour
€ Place Couscous in top part of couscoussier; you can fill bottom with water to steam the Couscous or use the chicken and vegetable mixture to create the steam to cook the Couscous
€ In the bottom part of the couscoussier sauté the onions in 2-3 T of olive oil over medium to high heat; when the onions are soft add the chicken pieces to brown
€ When chicken is brown add the salt, pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander, red pepper and turmeric; cook for another 5 minutes then add enough water to cover the chicken and simmer for another 5-10 minutes (be sure not to pour the water directly on the chicken as this will make the chicken tough)
€ Add all the slower cooking vegetables (except the tomatoes, chickpeas, zucchini, and cabbage); make a small bunch with the parsley and coriander stems, tie with a piece of string and put this in the liquid while it cooks; add enough water to cover the vegetables and simmer over a medium to low flame
€ At this point fit the top of the couscoussier (containing the moistened Couscous) onto the bottom thus allowing the steam to cook the Couscous; if there is any steam leaking out at the joint between the top and bottom of the couscoussier, soak a dishtowel in a flour and water mixture for a few minutes, wring it out and then tie the towel around the joint tightly to seal off any leaks; let simmer and steam for about 45 minutes and then proceed to the next step
€ Remove the top part of the couscoussier and pour the Couscous out onto a large platter or flat shallow bowl, spreading it out and sprinkling it with cold water to cool it off so you can handle it; use a spoon to break up any big lumps and then let it sit for 5 minutes
€ Sprinkle a little more cold water (1/2 C) over the Couscous and begin to rub it between your hands; you are trying to break up any clumps and to moisten and separate each grain of Couscous; continue until the lumps have all been broken up
€ Return the Couscous to the top of the couscoussier which you put back in place on the bottom part of the couscoussier and using the handle of a wooden spoon poke several holes in the Couscous to let the steam seep out; let steam for another 45 minutes (if the chicken has finished cooking, remove it from the pot, and add more water at this stage if necessary)
€ Repeat the above 2 steps again; add the tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and chickpeas to the mixture and add more water if necessary); put the top part of the couscoussier on the bottom and continue to simmer for 30-45 minutes
€ Repeat steps this time sprinkling 2-3 T of olive oil over the Couscous grains in addition to the water and rubbing that into it to coat the grains evenly; taste the Couscous grains to see if they are ready; they should be fluffy almost bouncy (if they have a hard or chewy center, they need to cook longer), the grains should be cooked through and moist but not soggy (if they are soggy, they have cooked too long); one method for testing the Couscous is to take one grain between your index finger and thumb and smash it - if it becomes a paste it is ready; tasting the Couscous will determine how much longer it should cook but usually you will have to steam it for at least another 30 minutes (you may want to add the chicken back to the pot to warm it up)
Presentation:
Pour the Couscous evenly on a large flat platter and make an indentation or well in the middle, about 3Ó in diameter; place the chicken pieces in this well
Using a slotted spoon begin removing the vegetables from the liquid in the pot and pile them up on the chicken; the vegetables should be used to form a cone on top of and around the meat and you may have to place the vegetables with your hands to get them to stay in place
Strain the liquid from the pot so you have just the stock, gently pour about 2 C of it over the vegetables and the Couscous, but be careful not to wash the vegetables down the side of the cone!
Pour the remaining broth in a bowl which you should put on the table for people to serve themselves; I usually heat up some of the broth and dissolve 2-3 T Harissa (Libyan chili paste) in it and serve that along side the tamer broth
These days most Libyan eat Couscous from a common platter using spoons; each person eats from their section of the dish, pouring on broth to their taste, mixing the Couscous with the meat and vegetables. Traditionally, however, Couscous is eaten with the hand.
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