This week’s recipe: Moroccan vegetable stew with couscous

There are so many reasons why this dish is a must-cook when having guests.

• Everyone loves it, even kids (it’s been voted by French people as one of their favorite dish!). It’s hearty and full of flavours, yet very healthy
• Ingredients can easily be found locally
• It’s not difficult to make and can be prepared in advance (so no one has to be in the kitchen when guests arrive)
• It suits almost every dietary restriction. I cook the meat separately for myself (it becomes vegan), and switch the couscous with rice/quinoa for gluten intolerants
• It freezes really well so I always make more than needed and freeze our leftovers for a lazy weekday dinner

I usually serve the vegetable stew with a simple roast chicken or grilled merguez sausages, which I get from Pak Stefan (more details here).

Ingredients for the vegetable stew (for 4 adults)

• Olive oil
• 2 chopped onions
• 4 carrots, cut into large pieces (3-4 cm)
• 3 parsnip, cut into large pieces (3-4 cm)
• 4 zucchini, cut into large pieces (3-4 cm)
• 6 tomatoes (or one can of tomatoes)
• one piece of fresh ginger (size of a thumb)
• one can of chickpeas (or 1 cup of precooked chickpeas) – optional
• tomato paste, 2 tablespoon or to taste
• Spices: Cumin, cinnamon ,paprika, coriander – 1 teaspoon of each (or to taste)
• Salt to taste
• Freshly chopped coriander to serve

Ingredients for the couscous (for 4 adults)

• 500g couscous
• 500mL water
• 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• salt, to taste

Preparation – About 15min (to cut and peel the vegetables) + one hour of cooking

Vegetable stew

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil and sweat the onions.
2. Add the carrots and parsnip, and pour enough water to cover the vegetables.
3. Add the spices and the tomato paste.
4. Let simmer for 45 min.
5. Prepare the couscous in a separate frying pan (see instructions below)
6. Add the tomatoes, zuchinni and let simmer for another 15min.
7. Adjust spices and salt to taste.
8. Toss some fresh coriander on top before serving

Couscous

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large frying pan and add salt and butter/oilve oil.
2. Once the water starts to boil, put the frying pan away from the fire and stir in the couscous, cover and rest for three minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork in order to break up the clumps of couscous.

To read the Indonesian translation, click here.