F&B

Couscous: Classic cuisine

The staple food in much of the region in and around Morocco, couscous is known to be a versatile dish. Chef Kaviraj Khialani explores the different ways in which it can be cooked

Couscous, consisting of grains made from semolina, is thought to be derived from the Arabic keskos or kousous for the cooking pot in which semolina is steamed. Made of earthenware or alpha glass, the pot is pierced with holes and sits on top of another similar pot containing water or stock.

It is a staple diet in much of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and was traditionally made from the hard part of the hard wheat; the part of the grain that resisted the grinding of the relatively primitive millstone. The name is also used for prepared dishes made from other grains like barley, millet, sorghum, rice or maize.

Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. But it has a number of variations today. In the United States, couscous is a type of pasta, probably reflecting the influence of Sicilian immigrants. However, in most other countries it is treated more like a grain in its own right. A traditional north Indian dish is made with hard wheat semolina and sometimes with barley and in Tunisia, it is made with green wheat. It is particularly valued for its rapid preparation time.

Methods of preparation

Couscous is an acquired taste but if prepared in the right manner with adequate spices and seasonings, it can appeal to all kinds of palates.

It can be steamed or cooked in a strong cooking liquor/stock which has been tastefully flavoured with ingredients like leeks, celery, bayleaves, herbs, etc. It is an ideal accompaniment to most Morroccan dishes; the famous tajine is also served with couscous.

Even though the basic components are the same - semolina and stock - the ingredients vary. In Algeria, couscous is served with chickpeas, broad (fava) beans and other vegetables including artichokes, courgettes, (zucchini), potatoes, aubergines, chard, fennel and sometimes meat.

Mesfouf, couscous made with fresh broad beans and raisins, is served at dawn during the month of Ramadan. It is eaten while drinking whey (leben) or curdled milk (raib). Saharan couscous is served without vegetables or stock. In Tunisia couscous can be made with rabbit, partridge or mutton, but chickpeas are an essential ingredient.

The most original recipe for couscous is made with fish (such as sea bream or groupers), but there is also a type of couscous in which the meat, fish and vegetables are replaced by raisins, almonds, pistachios, dates and walnuts, which are mixed with fresh milk and sprinkled with sugar. In Morocco, couscous is served with chicken and (usually) two stocks - one to moisten the semolina and the other (seasoned with red pepper) to spice it. The numerous ingredients (turnips, courgettes, raisins, chickpeas, onions, etc.) are cooked until they are reduced to a sort of mash. Another Moroccan recipe is for sweet couscous flavoured with cinnamon.

Whatever the variations, there are two rules that must be observed while preparing authentic couscous. First, the grain must be of the right quality and consistency, which depends on the art of rolling the grain by hand and cooking the semolina correctly. Secondly, the vegetables and spices used to prepare the stock must be carefully chosen to give the meat its unique flavour.

The writer is a hotel and restaurant consultant and heads the department for food production at Kohinoor College of Hotel Management, Mumbai. He can be reached at kaviraj21@hotmail.com