Moroccan vegetable couscous

 What is couscous?

Most consider couscous to be a grain, but that's not entirely accurate. Technically, 'couscous is a dough made from semolina flour mixed with water. Semolina flour is extremely high in gluten and is common with pasta because it creates firm noodles and is not as sticky as many other flours.

Durum wheat is the natural species of wheat from which semolina flour is created before it is processed into couscous. The second most cultivated wheat species after soft wheat, durum wheat is often referred to as 'pasta wheat' or 'macaroni wheat'.

Interestingly, durum wheat is quite rich in protein. It also contains about 3% more extractable ('wet') gluten than soft wheat, which is used to make most bread products.

Now that the labor-consuming process of making couscous has been mechanized, it is not difficult to create and sell couscous in bulk. As a rule, it is used as an ingredient in salads, stews, or other dishes in which you could use wild rice or orzo.

In addition, you can find or make wheat couscous, preferably whole-wheat couscous, which can be used in the same way as regular couscous

Ingredients

750 g  medium wheat couscous

1 tsp rancid S'men butter (optional)

For the sauce:

1.5 kg of veal

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp pepper

Salt

2 grated tomatoes

2 large sliced onions

2 small bouquets of parsley and coriander

8 cl of oil

2 l of water

100 g of chickpeas soaked since the day before

1/2 cabbage

6 carrots

6 turnips 

2 eggplants

6 zucchini

250 g of ecoshorn beans

500 g pumpkin

2 tomatoes, cut into four

1 hot pepper

Preparation

Steaming couscous using a couscousier 

Place the meat in a pot, add the salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, the two grated tomatoes, a bunch of herbs, oil, onion, and water.

Place the chickpeas in muslin, tie it and place it in the pot. Cover the pot and place it on the fire. 

When boiling, lower the heat and simmer until mid-cooking of the chickpeas. Add carrots, cabbage, and turnips. Continue cooking for about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Add the beans, the 2nd bouquet of herbs, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, chili, tomato wedge, salt, and pepper. Steam the Couscous as indicated in the basic recipe.

At the end of cooking the vegetables, remove the pot from the fire. Coat the hot Couscous with rancid butter "Smen" or butter and arrange it in a dish. 

Drizzle the hot Couscous with broth and garnish with meat and vegetables.

NUTRITIONAL VALUES

Per serving

Fibre       14 g

Sodium    554 mg

Protein    13 g

Calories    343

Total fat     6 g

Cholesterol  1 mg

Saturated fat    1 g

Total carbohydrates     65 g