The first time I ate couscous was at a newly-wed couple’s house in Abu Dhabi, a Lebanese man married to an Algerian lady. Of course, couscous is originally a Moroccan dish, but there are variations of it in different countries and she had prepared it the Algerian way. This was 25 years ago and at the time I though it must be very difficult to cook. Since then, I’ve learned that there are many ways to prepare this plate; it is a very flexible recipe and the choice of vegetables is completely up to you. It can even be cooked with meat, chicken or seafood. It is a very playful dish and I encourage you to add a bit of your own personality when cooking it.

Today I prepared couscous with chicken, my way. Use this recipe as a guide to finding your own favorite way of making it.

Ingredients:

• 200 grams of chicken fillet
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 red tomato peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot sliced (or two medium sized carrots)
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of dried coriander
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh coriander
• salt, 7 spices
• 2 tablespoon of corn oil

Preparation:

• Cut the chicken into medium size cubes
• Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the chickens until nice golden color then remove the chicken from the casserole
• In the same oil fry the chopped onion for about 3 minutes
• Add the carrot and tomato, cover the casserole and leave it for 5 minutes
• Put the chicken back with the onion, carrot and tomato
• Season with salt and seven spices as desired
• Add the tomato paste and add water until it is enough to cover the chicken and vegetables
• Let it boil on a high fire
• Now put the peas, reduce the fire and cover the casserole
• In the meantime heat some oil in a frying pan
• Mix the crushed garlic with the fresh and dry coriander then fry them for 3 minutes
• When the vegetables are tender, add the fried garlic with coriander over the vegetables and chicken
• Prepare the couscous as instructed on the package (it is sometimes different depending on the brand, but usually very simple)
• To serve put the couscous on a plate, and pour the chicken vegetables over

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT 🙂