The vegetables can be cubed, but will take longer to cook.
I married a Moroccan who makes THE best couscous (even his sisters ask him to make couscous because his is so good). I recommend the follow changes: Omit the cinnamon, tumeric and curry powder. Replace with ground ginger, paprika, a pinch or two of Ras el Hanout [Moroccan spice blend] or Garam Masala will work too, salt, and pepper to taste. Be generous with the spices; liberally sprinkle spices over the vegetables instead of measuring. The greastest thing about making couscous is that the ingredients can easily be subtituted! Add queen table squash or pumpkin. Cabbage and garlic should definitely be on your addition list! For a more flavorful couscous - cook it the authentic way. Measure couscous into a ceramic bowl and cover with hot water; then drain. Insert a tightly fitting steamer (resembles a colander) on top of the stock pot. Pour couscous and cover with a tight fitting lid. Remove couscous periodically (20-30 minutes) and place in a big bowl/platter and fluff the couscous - breaking up the chunky pieces. Salt and butter the couscous to taste and return to steamer pan. The steamed couscous tastes a lot better than boiled couscous. NOTE: Although saffron is a little expensive, it is a staple in Moroccan cooking. To save money - avoid buying saffron at your local chain grocery store as their spices are always costly. Try an ethnic market (Indo/Pak) and you will see a significant price difference.
Read MoreI married a Moroccan who makes THE best couscous (even his sisters ask him to make couscous because his is so good). I recommend the follow changes: Omit the cinnamon, tumeric and curry powder. Replace with ground ginger, paprika, a pinch or two of Ras el Hanout [Moroccan spice blend] or Garam Masala will work too, salt, and pepper to taste. Be generous with the spices; liberally sprinkle spices over the vegetables instead of measuring. The greastest thing about making couscous is that the ingredients can easily be subtituted! Add queen table squash or pumpkin. Cabbage and garlic should definitely be on your addition list! For a more flavorful couscous - cook it the authentic way. Measure couscous into a ceramic bowl and cover with hot water; then drain. Insert a tightly fitting steamer (resembles a colander) on top of the stock pot. Pour couscous and cover with a tight fitting lid. Remove couscous periodically (20-30 minutes) and place in a big bowl/platter and fluff the couscous - breaking up the chunky pieces. Salt and butter the couscous to taste and return to steamer pan. The steamed couscous tastes a lot better than boiled couscous. NOTE: Although saffron is a little expensive, it is a staple in Moroccan cooking. To save money - avoid buying saffron at your local chain grocery store as their spices are always costly. Try an ethnic market (Indo/Pak) and you will see a significant price difference.
Easy, excellent, low calorie stew. I dice the vegetables and increase the curry powder. I also use a can of diced tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce and deepen the flavor with chicken broth base. I have made this over and over-- it is a favorite staple at my house. My son's friend (from Morocco) ate half a batch at one sitting, and he was only 12!
When I made this recipe, it came out almost like my grandmother makes it. However, I omitted the tomato sauce entirely (I planned on adding tomatoes, but forgot) and I added the spices I know she uses: cumin, turmeric, paprika, and curry powder. I wish I hadn't added the cinnamon; it tasted weird.
This is the closest recipe I've found to the couscous I ate in Paris at a little Moroccan restaurant. The only changes I made were to omit the sweet potatoes and to use diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. I also cut the vegetables into big chunks, but that's only because of personal preferance. A great (and simple) recipe!
This is a super recipe if you're looking for a filling, savory dish that is low in fat and calories (I omitted the turnips...). I think I cut the sweet potato too thin and would suggest cutting this veggie a bit larger; it easily breaks down while cooking. Enjoy! It's a good one.
Moroccan and Israeli couscous are two different things. Israeli couscous is much larger while Moroccan is fine milled making it quite small. It's an easy mistake and I mean no offense, just sharing knowledge :)
What a great tasting combination of healthy ingredients. A perfect way for me to get more vegetables in my diet. I loved how all the different flavors tasted together. My husband and I were a little skeptical about the turnip at first, but it didn't have a strong flavor at all. Will definetely make it again.
I thought this recipe was excellent. It was hearty and mildly spicy (just right). I used no zucchini (I had none), and 1/4 tsp curry powder. It came out just right. It was very tasty and easy to make. The only negative comment came from my husband who wanted rice instead of couscous. Too bad! I loved it!!!
If you're looking for vegetarian dishes to add to your menu, this is a very good one. I followed some of the hints from other reviewers particularly the gal who married a Moroccan! It makes a lot so take that into consideration. Was gifted with a tajine and have been looking for ways to use it.....while not totally necessary, it makes a nice presentation. For my taste...lose the cinnamon and use a pince of Ras el Hanout. Added cabbage and used a can of diced tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce. Definitely will make again. Americans eat toooooo much meat!
Served this to a group and everyone liked it. It was a good way to clean up some odds and ends I had from the farmer's market. After reading some other reviews, I added a 28 oz can of tomatoes. If I do that again, will drain them first -- it added too much liquid to the pan. I think the key to this is to add the spices to the recipe much earlier, rather than at the end, to allow all the flavors to meld. Also, I used much more curry (approx 1 tsp.) and about a half tsp. of garam masala we had on hand.
I can simplify this recipe to be quick: Dice the vegetables small and saute in oilive oil, boil the sweet potato to almost done, throw together with the tomato sauce and simmer. Add a pinch of saffron and curry to the couscous and done. Enjoy.
It was our first Moroccan Couscous of any type and it just was not that amazing... and the spices were very expensive.
This is one of my favorites. I make it a lot and never tire of it. Any combination of the vegetables listed works really well. I sent this recipe to my boyfriend in Germany, and he made it for friends there. They loved it.
This recipe was quick and easy to put together once the chopping was done. I added diced tomatoes and a small amount or raisins to add flavor since I didn't have saffron. I will make this again.
This was outstanding with garam masala and didn't use cinnamon but used cumin and coriander, more algerian, I guess? I really enjoyed this with the couscous. My spouse wanted chicken so I added some the second night. Made a whole lot so we had it for a couple of days. Also used chicken broth since I don't really like the 'thinness' of vegetable.
I didn't use the sweet potatoes and I mixed it all together, my whole family devoured it. The next two days of leftovers were even better
I think it's just a matter of personal taste but this was not good. I couldn't take the cinnamon flavor, it ruined the dish for us and the combination of spices and veggies just didn't work out liked I'd hoped it would. Also, I don't know if the veggies were supposed to be mushy (which they were) but we like a firmer texture and I had cubed them. We're vegetarians and I'm always on the hunt for new recipes but I will not be making this again as I'm the only one who could eat a bowl. Btw it makes a huge amount! Not sure what to do with all of it now. :-(
This was a great dish. The flavor is yummy and complex--you can't taste any one ingredient, they all meld together nicely. The recipe makes a lot, so we had leftovers. My boyfriend hates to eat leftovers for some reason, but he ate this for days.
This was tasty, just not as flavorful as I'd hoped. I will probably make it again using more spice.
Really delicious. I cubed the vegetables because looking at the photos it was more appealing. Also, I added garam masala instead of the tumeric because I didn't have any!
DO NOT cook for as long as it says. My potatoes came out mushy and I didn't julienne them, I just cubed them and the time on the recipe is too long for cubing! Flavor was okay. I was wanting more. If I made again I would add the spices with the olive oil and add more of them.
very good - love recipes that allow maximum veggie use. :) i made some changes mentioned earlier. omitted sweet potato and used diced tomatoes vs. tomato sauce. i would have liked the sauce to thicken a little - will work on that. will definitely make this again.
This was decent -- very bland and I even added extra curry, a little garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Its definitely authentic Moroccan, but I will add a lot more spice if I make it again. I'll also use a food processor because I have blisters from all the julienning. Anyway, a great basis for what could be a fantastic recipe in my opinion.
A couple changes to this recipe. I used a 15 oz can of turnips/greens instead of fresh and added it at the end. Also, next time I would use half the couscous.
Awesome recipe!! I didn't have the turnips and red pepper, I substituted diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, but I kept all the spices the same. What nice flavors! Used bulgur instead of couscous. Will definitely make again and again.
Really delicious. I used all the recommended vegetables, plus some small Russett potatoes. I also used curried couscous from a package, which really added something I think.
Healing food. I add more curry about 3/4 tablespoon - but add is gradually, and taste until you have your level correct. Also I add a little cayenne pepper to give it some zing. I also use all organic ingredients, incl the cous-cous. This is a healing food if you do that. Remember to use bottled spring water also when adding water.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I didn't have any zuchinni or red peppers - but even without them it was great. Took it for lunch all week! I can see how zuchinni will add a perfect flavor to the mix and the peppers good texture. I can't wait to make it again when I have all the right veggies.
I really liked this recipe. The seasonings were just right for this kind of dish. Execllent!
It's easy, it's beautiful, but my goodness is it bland! I've eaten couscous in Paris, too, and this ain't it. I made the recipe precisely as written, too. I think the cook who used curried couscous had her thinking cap on. Anyway, I hate to be the one to blow the 5-star record, but I know I won't make this one again.
Healing food. I add more curry about 3/4 tablespoon - but add is gradually, and taste until you have your level correct. Also I add a little cayenne pepper to give it some zing. I also use all organic ingredients, incl the cous-cous. This is a healing food if you do that. Remember to use bottled spring water also when adding water.
Good starter. I needed much more spice as well, partly because of not having saffron and turmeric. I substituted cumin and paprika as suggested, and left out the cinammon. Used chicken bouillon, as had no veg. Will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this without the couscous...just the chickpea/veggie mix. Improvised on the veggies, using onion/zucchini/carrot/broccoli/bell pepper. Added some cumin. Served with steamed broccoli and homemade bread. Mmmm...
This dish is fantastic! It is one of the few things that I've tried with "Moroccan" in the title that actually tastes like something one would eat in Morocco. It was sort of labor intensive with all the vegetable cutting but well worth it. I did not include saffron and opted not to include the turnips. I added an additional 1/2 tsp of tumeric and curry, and it still turned out great. I will definitely make this again.
I omitted the saffron because of the expense of it but added more curry powder (just prefer more of that taste). Otherwise left everything the same. It was a big hit with the family. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
This is one of my new favourite recipes. It's a fairly easy recipe but it is time consuming so it's a weekend dinner for sure. It is absolutely delicious and filling as well. I left out turnips (I didn't have any and I'm not a big fan anyway). I also changed the spices a little, after reading some of the other reviews. I used cumin instead of cinnamon and left out the saffron and ended up increasing the amounts a little (not sure by how much, started with recipe amount and increased to taste). Instead of plain couscous, I served it over the sweet and nutty Moroccan couscous (which I also got from this site) and the whole meal was fantastic! Thanks :)
this makes a lot of food. Instead of zucchini i added summer squash and i diced and added an apple to the carrot potato and turnip stage - the colors were beautifuland it tasted fantastic. i fried some raw peanuts with olive oil, cinnomon tummeric and salt and put them on top. YUMMY!
We loved this recipe. It's good for you and has great delicate flavors. I didn't have any saffron, so I skipped that and upped the curry powder to 1/4 tsp. Other than that I made exactly as written and really enjoyed it.
This was very tasty. Took a while to julienne all the vegetables, but otherwise very easy to make. Next i'm using my food processor.
Very good. It is a bit thin with the tomato sauce. I also put more spices in, but that is a matter of personal taste.
This was really good and different so it brought a fresh and tasty new dish to the table.
This was very delicious and yummy!!! One warning is that makes a ton of food as is. I did make some modifications. I used the spices liberally, also added some coriander. I also added all of the spices with the peppers/zucchini so the spices had 20 mins to simmer. Finally, I added a handful of apricots and a dash of honey to sweaten up the curry taste, but only a little. Finally, I omitted the tomato's because they just didn't seem to make sense with this recipe, which I've noticed some ppl agreed with me, while others disagreed, so it probably is a taste preference.
This recipe was easy, not fast, but I cooked with a girlfriend while sipping on a glass of wine. The ingredients can be subsituted appropriately, so one doesn't have to stress about having exactly what is listed, and for the meat-loving male at the table, we seared some beef and added it to half of the wet stuff. It added great flavour, and the entire meal was healthy, tasty and satisfying. I would definitely recommend this recipe!
Very bland, like a thoroughly unexciting stew. I'm happy to be finally finished with the leftovers. Maybe (just maybe) it would've been better if I put it on curried couscous like another reviewer, but I don't plan to make this again. <br> Also, avoid julienning all those vegetables: it takes ages and neither adds to the flavor (in how they cook) nor adds to the appearance. (I still have blisters!) (This recipe might've just barely been three stars if not for this unnecessary work in the preparation.) Additionally, take the advice of another reviewer and cut the potatoes into larger pieces; if you julienne them they'll dissolve during cooking.
Wanted to try something new and this recipe looked great. I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth since that's what I had on hand. I also added diced ginger with the onion and cardamom with the seasingons. All in all, great recipe, wanted something healthy and this delivered.
Excellent recipe. I changed it up just a bit, leaving out the turnip and changing some spices, but it was excellent! I definitely will be making this one again!
This was the most bland and tastless dish. For nearly 40 minutes to prepare and cook it isn't worth it. This is the kind of dish that gives vegetarian food a bad reputation.
I added the spices in the beginning (with the onions) so that it would cook into the dish more and ended up adding more (to taste) later on... around double what the recipe called for. I didn't have garbanzo beans on hand and substituted white beans. It was still good, but I think the garbanzo would have been better. This dish has a nice flavor. I'll definitely make it again.
I crave this dish come winter. I chop everything up in chunks for faster preparation (requires a little longer cooking time) and also add tomato paste to thicken. Yum!!
Like many others, I added quite a bit more curry powder. I also used some garam masala. This recipe would be way to bland with only a "pinch" of curry powder. I used purple sweet potatoes and carrots and garbanzo beans but omitted the red peppers as I thought they would get too soggy. I also chunked the veggies. Who has time to julienne them?
