The Algerian Connection (Vegetarian)

Member Name: wyrdsister

Product:	Vegetarian
Date:	28/02/02 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: tasty, easy to make, not very expensive

Disadvantages: none

I’m a meat eater, but both my sister and mother are vegetarian, so obviously, whenever they’re around, I change my eating habits slightly to make it easier all round when it comes to cooking. Swapping to veggie food isn’t really that difficult and the simple fact is that it is also very healthy, so long as you are careful and eat a balanced diet. But I’m not here to discuss the pros and cons of the veggie life style, others have already done so and certainly a lot better than I ever could. I’m here to talk about Couscous.

The one side of my family comes from northern Africa, Algeria to be precise. Because of this, I inherited a taste for Arabic food and the most famous dish coming from this region of Africa is Couscous. Couscous is a wheat product and can be used as a basis for many dishes. The grain, as I call it, can be found in most supermarkets that have a World Cuisine department and can also be found in Organic food departments. The dish itself is basically a stew, which is served with the cooked grain.

Now, how do you prepare it? Couscous is traditionally prepared with lamb or chicken and the recipe varies between countries, but here, I give you the veggie option.

**Ingredients**

3 Courgettes
2-3 onions
1 red pepper (for colour, but green is ok)
4-5 carrots
1 turnip
1 tin of chickpeas (you can use the dried version and soak them if you prefer)
2 teaspoons of coriander
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 vegetable stock cubes

1 packet of couscous grain (usually 375 gr.)
I recommend you use a large cooking pot.
This dish serves 4.

**Preparation**

Cut the pepper and onions thinly and gently fry in olive oil until soft. Cut the carrots, turnip and peeled courgettes in 2-3 cm thick chunks and add. Make your stock and cover your vegetables. Leave to cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, then add the chickpeas and spice
s, salt and pepper to your taste. Leave for another 20 minutes . It’s done.

To prepare the couscous grain, simply follow the instruction of the packet, they can vary slightly but usually, just add twice the volume of boiling water, cover and leave the grains to swell for about 5 minutes. Then add a nut of butter so they don’t become too sticky. Although I don’t, you can also add soaked sultanas (Moroccan style).

**Serving**

Place your couscous grain on the plate and make a hole in the middle for the vegetables. You need to also add the juice of the vegetable to moisten the couscous.


Couscous is a very versatile dish and it can be prepared with meat or even fish if you prefer. Just change your type of stock to suit, and the cooking time needs to be lengthened to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked. I like the veggie version and hope you’ll give it a go. It is simple to cook, very tasty and very filling.

Summary: