A Tasty Tagine: Cooking Couscous The Moroccan Way

Couscous and tagine are two staple dishes of North African cuisine, with the latter being a slow-cooked stew of meat and vegetables cooked in a conical-shaped pot also called a tagine. While couscous is often served as a side dish with stews or tagines, some recipes call for the two to be served together. However, this pairing is not traditional in Morocco, where tagine is typically eaten with bread and not served with a side dish. Preparing couscous involves toasting it in an oven and then boiling it with spices and vegetables in a pot or microwave. It is then served with the tagine, which is cooked separately in an oven or on a stovetop.

Couscous preparation

Couscous is made from semolina wheat and is usually available in the instant variety, which has already been steamed and dried. It is a quick and easy dish to prepare, and can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave. The couscous grain should not be rinsed before cooking.

The ratio of water to couscous is generally 1:1, but you can add a little less water for drier couscous, or a little more for a softer, stickier dish. One cup of dried couscous will make about four cups of cooked couscous.

To cook on the stove, first, bring the liquid to a boil. You can use water or broth, and add butter or olive oil if you like. Next, remove the pan from the heat and pour in the couscous and salt, stirring to moisten the couscous. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes. If the couscous is still crunchy, leave it for a few more minutes. Finally, fluff the couscous with a fork before serving.

To cook couscous in the microwave, pour it into a heat-proof bowl and add boiling water. Stir to moisten, cover, and wait 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

You can also toast the couscous for more flavour. To do this, melt butter or olive oil in a saucepan, add the couscous, and stir until it becomes fragrant and toasty. Boil the water separately, then pour it over the couscous and proceed as normal.

To prepare the lemon and pomegranate couscous to serve with a lamb tagine, cut the pomegranates in half and scoop out the seeds, removing the white membrane. Place the couscous in a bowl and mix in olive oil and lemon juice. Pour over boiling stock or water, and allow to sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes. Stir in chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds before serving.

It is worth noting that couscous is not traditionally served with a tagine, although some Western chefs pair the two. In Morocco, tagine is eaten with bread and is not served with a side dish.

Tagine preparation

Firstly, it's important to note that serving couscous with a tagine is not traditional in Morocco. Tagine is usually served with bread, and couscous is a separate dish. However, if you wish to prepare a tagine and serve it with couscous, here is how you can do it:

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Place your tagine, or a heavy-bottom cast-iron pot, on medium heat and add olive oil. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken in batches until deep golden brown on all sides, for a total of 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate.

Next, add your choice of vegetables to the pot. You can use onions, garlic, ginger, and spices such as coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric. Cook this mixture, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and aromatic. Then, add your choice of liquid, such as stock or broth, and bring it to a boil.

Return the chicken to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Cover the tagine or pot with a tight-fitting lid and bake in the oven or simmer on the stovetop for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

While the tagine is cooking, you can prepare the couscous. Bring the desired amount of liquid to a boil in a separate pot. You can use chicken stock, cinnamon, turmeric, and red pepper, for example.

Once the liquid is boiling, add the couscous and stir to combine. Cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let the couscous rest for about 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. Then, fluff it with a fork and remove any whole spices like cinnamon sticks.

To serve, place the cooked tagine in the centre of a plate and surround it with a heaped serving of couscous. You can also pour some of the sauce from the tagine over the couscous.

Note: If you wish to cook the couscous in a tagine, it is not possible as couscous is boiled or steamed, and a tagine is used for slow cooking and simmering.

Combining the two

While it is not traditional to serve couscous with a tagine, it is not impossible to cook couscous in a tagine, and some recipes do combine the two.

To cook couscous in a tagine, you would need to boil water or broth in the vessel and then pour it over the couscous, allowing it to sit and absorb the liquid. However, this is not the typical method of preparing couscous, which is usually steamed or boiled.

If you want to serve a tagine with couscous, it is more common to prepare the two separately. The tagine, a slow-cooked stew of meat and vegetables, can be cooked in its namesake vessel, a cone-shaped earthenware pot, or a heavy pot like a Dutch oven. The couscous can be prepared in a separate pot or saucepan on the stove, or even in the microwave.

To make couscous, simply bring water or broth to a boil, pour in the couscous, and let it sit covered for about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. You can also toast the couscous first to give it more flavor. For every cup of dry couscous, use one cup of water or broth. This will yield about four cups of cooked couscous.

So, while it may not be traditional, it is certainly possible to combine the two and serve a tagine with couscous.

Serving suggestions

Couscous is traditionally served in a communal large round plate, with small bowls of extra broth on the side. It is topped with meat and vegetables, and some of the sauce is poured on top.

If you are serving couscous with a tagine, it is not traditional to place the tagine on top of the couscous. Instead, the tagine and couscous are served as separate dishes. The tagine is served as a main course, or as a side dish with couscous, alongside roasted chicken or salmon.

Couscous

To prepare the couscous, start by bringing water to a boil in a pot. You can add a drizzle of olive oil to the water for fluffier couscous. Next, add the couscous, cover the pot, and remove it from the heat. Let the couscous sit for about 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork. You can then cover it again and set it aside.

Tagine

For the tagine, you can use a variety of meat and vegetables. Common ingredients include beef, chicken, lamb, fish, garlic, onions, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, and chickpeas. You can also add nuts, raisins, preserved lemons, dates, dried olives, and prunes.

To prepare the tagine, start by heating olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole or heavy saucepan over medium to high heat. Add the garlic, onions, spices, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft. Then, add the meat, followed by the remaining ingredients, and stir thoroughly. Bring to a simmer and place in the oven for about 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender.

Serving

To serve, place the tagine on plates with a side of couscous and a wedge of lime. You can also serve it with a bowl of thick Greek yoghurt. Alternatively, you can serve the tagine in a large, rimmed platter, with the couscous in the centre, and the tagine spooned around it.

The history of the dishes

Tagine and couscous are two distinct dishes that are often incorrectly paired by Western chefs. While it is not unheard of to put a tagine on top of couscous or serve it with couscous, it is not traditional.

The History of the Tagine

The tagine is a Berber dish that originated in North Africa, specifically Morocco. It is typically cooked and served in a special cone-shaped clay vessel, also called a tagine, but can also be prepared in a heavy pot like a Dutch oven. The dish usually consists of meat and vegetables slow-cooked and seasoned with various spices. Savory and sweet flavors are often combined, such as beef and prunes, chicken and olives, or beef and tomatoes. Tagine is traditionally eaten with bread, using the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand to scoop and eat.

The History of Couscous

Couscous, on the other hand, is an Arab dish that is widely recognized as Moroccan cuisine. It is made from semolina, the same flour used to make pasta, and rolled into small balls or pasta grains. Couscous is typically cooked by steaming it in the top compartment of a couscoussier, a tall metal pot with a bulbous base and a steamer, while the meat and vegetables are cooked in the bottom compartment. The couscous is then heaped onto a large serving plate, and the contents of the pot are arranged around it, with some sauce poured on top.

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