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Berber corn couscous with vegetables
كسكس الذرة (seksu n tasengart): cracked dried maize steamed over vegetables, served with buttermilk
In the Souss valley and the villages of the Middle Atlas, couscous is often made not from wheat but from cracked dried maize, which gives a sunny yellow, slightly nutty grain. It's steamed three times over a pot of turnips, carrots, courgettes and pumpkin, buttered with smen or plain butter, and eaten on Fridays with a glass of cold lben (buttermilk). Corn grits absorb more water than wheat and won't swell in one go, so the usual mistake is skipping the third steaming and serving it gritty. Chef's tip: oil your palms before rubbing the grains between steamings; the maize stays separate and never clumps. Naturally gluten free if you check your maize grits are made in a gluten-free mill.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the couscous
- 1 ¾ cups watersalted with 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ⅜ oz butter or smen
For the vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionsliced
- 2 tomatoesgrated
- 3 carrotshalved lengthways
- 2 small turnipsquartered
- 10 ½ oz pumpkinlarge chunks
- 2 courgetteshalved lengthways
- 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeasdrained
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1.5 litre water
- ⅔ oz coriander and parsleytied in a bunch
To serve
- 2 ½ cups buttermilk (lben)chilled
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb coarse maize grits (corn couscous) in a wide bowl, sprinkle over a third of ½ cup water and rub between oiled palms (use 1 tbsp olive oil) until every grain is damp. Leave 10 minutes.
5 minStep 2: In the base of a couscoussier, warm 3 tbsp olive oil and soften 1 onion with 2 tomatoes, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 ½ tsp salt for 5 minutes. Add 3 carrots, 2 small turnips, 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas, ⅔ oz coriander and parsley and 1.5 litre water and bring to the boil.
10 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz pumpkin and 2 courgettes to the broth. Steam the grains a second time for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the rest of ½ cup water and rub again.
15 minStep 5: Steam a third time until the grains are tender with no gritty centre when you bite one; the vegetables should now be soft.
15 minStep 6: Rub 1 ⅜ oz butter or smen through the hot grains and pile them in a wide dish. Arrange the vegetables and chickpeas on top and moisten with a few ladles of broth.
2 minStep 7: Serve with glasses of cold 2 ½ cups buttermilk (lben) and extra broth on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does berber corn couscous with vegetables take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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