Couscous Lesson

Algerian Moroccan North African Regional Cooking Side Dish Tunisian Baroness Tapuzina

Several weeks ago Raizy, the daughter of a good friend of mine taught me and her mother how to make couscous. Raizy married into a Tunisian/Moroccan family and learned how to make couscous from her mother-in-law. I have wanted to learn how to make couscous ever since I bought Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco. I love North African food and have always used instant couscous and always felt like I was cheating. I thought it would be too complicated to make, but after my lesson, it really isn’t that hard. It is a bit time consuming, but you can make it in advance and keep it in the freezer. My husband made a vegetable tagine and we used one of our two packages of couscous. It was delicious. I am saving the other one for when we move to our new home next month. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the vegetable couscous, but I promise I will feature the couscous in February.

Thank you Raizy and Miriam, I really enjoyed our “Girls Night Out”.

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Raizy's Couscous
Ingredients
  • 1 kg 2.2lbs white semolina
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/3 cup canola or light olive oil
  • 5-1/4 cups water
Instructions
  1. Couscousier
  2. Fill 1/4 of the bottom of a couscousier with water and place on medium heat.
  3. Cornmeal Texture
  4. Place 1kg of semolina in a very large bowl.
  5. Oil and Mix
  6. Mix the salt into the oil and drizzle over the semolina.
  7. Cornmeal Texture
  8. Mix with a hand-held mixer until you get a cornmeal consistency.
  9. Thicker Cornmeal Consistency
  10. Slowly drizzle 1-1/4 cups of water to the semolina mixture and mix with a mixer until you get a thicker cornmeal mixer. Let the mixture rest for five minutes.
  11. Sifting 1
  12. Sift the semolina in a second very large bowl and set aside any lumps that you cannot breakdown.
  13. Couscousier Inside
  14. Steam Couscous
  15. Place the mixture in the top of the couscousier and steam for 30 minutes over medium heat.
  16. Steamed Couscous
  17. Pour into a very large bowl and let cool. Then add 4 cups of water, stir in with a wooden spoon and let the mixture rest until all of the water has been absorbed. Sift again, removing any lumps and steam for an additional 30 minutes on medium heat. Pour into a large bowl and let cool.
  18. Fine Consistency
  19. Sift the mixture and place in plastic containers or use right away. You can keep the couscous in the freezer for a couple of months or in the refrigerator for three or four days.
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Written by Baroness Tapuzina

Michelle Nordell (aka Baroness Tapuzina) was a foodie from the womb growing up in the House of Weird Vegetables, so named by a family friend because all of the unusual and exotic food cooked and eaten there. She loves to change recipes using herbs from her garden and spices from the spice shops she enjoys visiting.