MOROCCO
Couscous with chicken
1 hour
4 persons
Average
When you think of Moroccan cuisine, you think of couscous. It is therefore not without reason that couscous is seen as the national dish of Morocco. Couscous is originally made from just two ingredients: water and durum wheat. Same ingredients as for dried pasta. Although in the Netherlands we are used to preparing couscous by briefly cooking it, in Morocco it is customary to steam the couscous in a special couscous pan. Sami told us that his mother, Sabah's couscous is the best in the world. She gave us the delicious recipe for a traditional couscous with raisins and chicken.
Preparation
Step 1: Prepare the chicken
Soak the raisins in a bowl of lukewarm water.
Cut the onions into thin rings and the chicken into large pieces.
Heat the oil with 80 grams of butter in the lower part of the couscous pan or steamer. No couscous pan or steamer at home? Then use a normal saucepan.
Fry the onions until they are golden brown.
Add the chicken pieces, ginger powder, turmeric, saffron, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick to the onion mixture.
Pour water into the pan until everything is just covered and stew the chicken for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the couscous
Option 1: With the couscous pan or steamer. Fill the top part of the pan with couscous. Add ... ml of cold water and 40 grams of butter and rub the grains apart. Place the couscous on the bottom part of the pan with the chicken while the chicken is cooking.
Option 2: if no couscous pan or steamer. Fill a large bowl with couscous. Wait until the chicken has cooked for 10 minutes. Add 300 ml cooking liquid and 250 ml water to the couscous. Cover the bowl with a lid or plate and let it steam.
Step 3: Boil the raisins
Remove the onion from the pan with a slotted spoon.
In another pan, add the raisins and two large spoonfuls of the cooking liquid.
Add the cinnamon, sugar and honey and cook the raisins for 5 minutes over low heat.
Step 4: Fry the almonds
In a separate pan, fry the almonds in cold oil. Roast them until they are nice and crispy.
Step 5: Serve the couscous
Place the chicken in a bowl and spoon the couscous and raisin-onion mixture on top.
Ingredients
1.2 kg chicken (we used 600 grams of chicken drumsticks and 450 grams of chicken thigh fillet)
4 large onions
400 grams of raisins
400 grams of couscous
120 grams of butter
0.05 grams of saffron
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp salt
Handful of almonds without peel
Supplies
Optional: Steam or couscous pan
Want to get in the mood? Here a music suggestion!