Couscous
In couscous, the meat and vegetable mixture is rather long to cook, but not difficult. And the couscous itself (a kind of coarse semolina) is simple and quick to prepare.
526 K 3.7/5 (113 reviews)
2 hours 40 min.
Easy
5 people
21 IngredientsLast modified on: November 16th 2017
For 5 people, you will need:
- 1
2 courgettes - 2
½ leek - 3
2 carrots - 4
2 turnips - 5
½ onion - 6
½ garlic clove - 7
2 tablespoons olive oil - 8
10 meatballs (optional) - 9
400 g chicken breast - 10
2 tablespoons spices for couscous - 11
175 g tinned (canned) chickpeas - 12
1 kg water - 13
35 g tomato paste - 14
1 beef stock cube - 15 2.5 glasses water
- 16 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 17
2.5 glasses couscous - 18
25 g butter - 19
salt - 20
pepper - 21
a little harissa (optional) - Total weight: 3,445 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 50 min.
Resting: 5 min.
Cooking: 1 hour 45 min.
All in all: 2 hours 40 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Vegetables preparation
Prepare 2 courgettes.If you have small courgettes, just cut into thick slices.
Set aside.
Stage 3 - 10 min.
Peel and wash 2 carrots, cut into pieces, set aside.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Peel and wash 2 turnips, cut into pieces, set aside.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Stage 6 - 10 min.
Stage 7 - 10 min.
Do the same thing with 400 g chicken breast.
Do this for all the meats, then set aside.
Do this for all the meats, then set aside.
Stage 8 - 3 min.
In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if necessary, add onion and garlic, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
Stage 9 - 1 min.
Add meat, 2 tablespoons spices for couscous and mix again.
Stage 10
Add all the vegetables and 175 g tinned (canned) chickpeas, mix again.
Stage 11 - 2 min.
Add 1 kg water. With a spatula, scrape bottom of pan well to mix all the flavours (important).
Add 35 g tomato paste and 1 beef stock cube, then salt and pepper.
Add 35 g tomato paste and 1 beef stock cube, then salt and pepper.
Stage 12 - 15 min.
Bring to the boil.
Stage 13 - 1 hour
Then cover, and let cook on slow fire for at least 1 hour (2 or 3 hours is better).
Stage 14 - 5 min.
Stage 15 - 5 min.
When water is boiling, remove from heat and add 2.5 glasses couscous, mix well, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
Stage 16
After this time, add 25 g butter (or more), and mix with a fork. It's ready.
Stage 17
Stage 18
The traditional way to serve: a layer of couscous, then vegetables and meat, and a good deal of sauce over the top.
Remarks
To prepare a hotter sauce: take 2 or 3 ladles of stock from the pan, and in a bowl mix with a good tablespoon of harissa (according to your taste) and some chick-peas. Serve with couscous for spicy sauce aficionados.
As for the chicken, choose a good quality one (free-range, of traceable origin, or "red label" in France for instance).
Proportions are given as suggestions, do not hesitate to adapt to your taste.
You can add other vegetables if you like: bell pepper, aubergine/eggplants, and other meats: meatballs, lamb, spicy sausage, beef...
If you can't find a ready-made mix of couscous spices, you can make your own from: cumin, coriander (ground), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Paprika, cloves and caraway are also sometimes used.
As for the chicken, choose a good quality one (free-range, of traceable origin, or "red label" in France for instance).
Proportions are given as suggestions, do not hesitate to adapt to your taste.
You can add other vegetables if you like: bell pepper, aubergine/eggplants, and other meats: meatballs, lamb, spicy sausage, beef...
If you can't find a ready-made mix of couscous spices, you can make your own from: cumin, coriander (ground), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Paprika, cloves and caraway are also sometimes used.
And to drink?
A wine from Algeria of course, or Languedoc, something full-bodied. Otherwise a well chilled rosé from Provence.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 140 RDI=50 % | 160 RDI=20 % | 180 RDI=30 % | 2,790 RDI=140 % | 11,690 RDI: 140 % |
| Per 100 g | 3 RDI=2 % | 4 RDI=0 % | 5 RDI=1 % | 80 RDI=4 % | 340 RDI: 4 % |
| Per person | 30 RDI=10 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 40 RDI=5 % | 560 RDI=30 % | 2,340 RDI: 30 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 5 people : 12.50 €
- Per person : 2.50 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Langoustine gratin, Papadums, Rabbit civet "à la normande", Potimarron (Japanese chestnut pumpkin) purée, Praline, ... See them all 135
Chicken breast
Like these other recipes: Thai-style Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Sliced chicken with mushrooms and broccoli, Tex-Mex chicken burger, Vol-au-vent, Beetroot and fried chicken salad, ... See them all 29
Tinned (canned) chickpeas
Like these other recipes: Spinach and chick peas "à la milanaise", Chorba, Green hummus, Chickpea salad, Cauliflower and chickpea salad, ... See them all 10
Tomato paste
Like these other recipes: Tomato sauce (for pizzas), Cretan-style salmon , Loaf for "les filles'", Green beans "Napoléon", Tomato and courgette tart, ... See them all 11
Other recipes you may also like
Rice pudding (riz au lait)
My personal version of this classic family recipe.December 18th 2018405 K5 40 min.
4 pears salad with vanilla
It's a very easy recipe, everything depends on the choice of differents kinds of pears all fully ripe, to give a delicious contrast in the mouth.February 21th 2011234 K4.2 40 min.
Almond cream or frangipane
Light and delicious, it is used in a lot of desserts like tarts, cakes and pies (epiphany galette).January 23th 2022466 K 25 45 min.
Rémoulade dressing
This dressing is a kind of mayonnaise with vinegar, used for some salads like celeriac rémoulade. Usually it is prepared from mayonnaise, but here is another version, simpler and just as tasty.October 3rd 2010886 K3.8 6 min.
Raw beetroot mousse with walnuts
A lightly spiced mousse, made with raw beetroot, with a layer in the centre of finely diced beetroot and roughly chopped walnuts. Discover or rediscover the taste of raw beetroot, very special and so "earthy".October 13th 2010379 K4 50 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 9 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.