Moroccan Couscous a Sweet and Savory Side Dish

This Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous is a festive recipe that will wow guests at a holiday table, and it’s also easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner.

Moroccan food has got to be one of our favorite cuisines! The spices, complex flavors, hearty ingredients, and beautiful colors, awaken your senses and appetite. This Moroccan Couscous recipe is a classic dish filled with delicious spices, onions, nuts, raisins, prunes and spiced chickpeas for added protein. It’s sweet, savory, filling, and looks beautiful on a holiday table!

What is Couscous?

Couscous is a North African staple made from crushed semolina, derived from durum wheat. It has a light, fluffy texture when cooked and can be served similarly to rice or quinoa. Traditional couscous is prepared by steaming, but in modern, quick preparations, it cooks by simply pouring boiling water over it and letting it sit covered until it becomes tender. It’s often served as a side dish or base for stews and tagines.

Israeli couscous, also known as pearl couscous, is different. It consists of larger, round wheat granules that are toasted, giving it a nutty flavor and chewy texture. Unlike traditional couscous, which absorbs water by steaming, Israeli couscous is boiled like pasta.

Traditional Moroccan Couscous Preparation

We grew up with a lot of Moroccan friends and we learned a thing or two about couscous. Traditional Moroccan couscous is steamed in a multi-step process that can take a little while! It gets steamed three times and requires some patience. Below is an overview, if you would like more detailed information, please leave us a comment and we will ask our Moroccan friend to guide us through the step-by-step process. This method yields an incredibly fluffy couscous. In this recipe, we are using the quick preparation method, but we thought you may be interested in knowing about authentic traditional couscous preparation.

1. First steam: Put dry couscous into a large bowl and work vegetable oil into it by hand. Pour a small amount of water over the top, continuing to rub the couscous grains between your palms, before transferring it to an oiled steamer basket with small holes (couscoussier), so the couscous doesn't fall through. Once you see steam coming off the couscous, wait about 15 minutes before pouring it back into the large bowl. 
2. Add more water: Once cool to the touch, add more water and salt by hand, then put it back in the steamer basket. Steam it a second time, for an additional 15 minutes once you see steam rising from the couscous. Just like before, pour it into the large bowl and let it cool to the touch. 
3. Add more water and steam again: This time you’ll work in more water, tossing and rubbing it between your palms like before, and then transferring half of it back into the steamer basket. Handle it lightly and try not to pack it in too tight! Once the steam is rising, add the second half on top and continue cooking. Watch for steam to rise from the couscous, set a timer for 15-20 minutes, and then pour it back into your bowl and prepare it for serving. 

How to Make Our Moroccan Couscous Recipe

Most authentic, traditional chefs will tell you the full steaming process is totally worth it as it produces fluffy, perfect couscous. We won’t argue with that, we have made couscous the traditional way and it is amazingly delicious. For this recipe, we are using a quick method which saves a lot of time in the kitchen, which is also important! We simply add boiling water to a bowl of spiced couscous, cover it, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Not as fluffy as the 1-hour process, but it gets the job done quickly!

Ingredients in Moroccan Couscous

This is a pretty short and simple ingredient list; you might even have all of these things in your pantry already!

• Couscous - You can find this in the same aisle as rice and grains! We like to cook couscous in vegetable broth, but water works well too.
• Spices - This recipe calls for salt and pepper, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and cumin.
• Spanish onions - These look like yellow onions, but they’re a bit sweeter and larger and we prefer them in this dish!
• Raisins - Regular or golden raisins both work fine here.
• Pitted prunes - Prunes add color and sweetness that perfectly balances this dish!
• Chickpeas - One can of chickpeas drained and rinsed, is the perfect amount. They’ll get tossed with oil and spices before getting toasted on the stovetop!

Storage and Reheating Instructions

• You can make this delicious spiced Moroccan couscous ahead of time! This is awesome if you want to eat it for lunch or have a big dinner and want to get ahead of the cooking.
• It can be made 2-3 days ahead, and we recommend storing all the components separately and assembling the couscous right before serving for best results.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days... although it never lasts that long in our house!
• Reheat couscous in the microwave, stove, or in oven at 250ºF

Recipe Variations

• Add Veggies: Toss in roasted vegetables for a hearty and flavorful addition.
• Moroccan spice blend: Swap out our spices for a Ras El Hanout blend.
• Add sweetness: For a touch of natural sweetness, mix in roasted butternut squash.
• Citrus Flavor: Enhance the flavor with preserved lemons or a sprinkle of lemon or orange zest.
• More Dried Fruit: Add more dried fruit like apricots, figs, or dates

The Story That Inspired This Recipe

Have you ever tried Moroccan food? If you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing. It is AWESOME. The spices, the complex flavors, the heartiness… YUM!!!

A couple of nights ago, I got this huge craving for it. I wanted a steaming bowl of Moroccan couscous so badly I could taste it.  But… I was tired and didn’t feel like making anything.

I wasn’t gonna give up, so what did I do?  I reached out to my sister, of course… And after just a little bit of begging on my part, she offered to make it for me.

She didn’t have all the ingredients she needed so she couldn’t exactly make the “authentic” recipe. But there is one thing you should know about my sister: she is the best at making up new stuff. So she came up with her own version. Equally yummy, and satisfying. Just perfect.

I hope you enjoy it!

Ruth

P.S: I once read a quote that said:  “In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips”. How true…

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