My Couscous Story
Written by Fatiha Safi, and edited by Kim Supajirawatananon
Note from Kim
It’s been a rotten few days for weather in Glasgow; freezing, drookit, and blowing a gale, mostly all at once. That makes it more important to take pleasure in each other’s company and to bathe in the warm glow of hospitality and friendship where we can. Our earlier post this week talked about the weekly community meals we’re hosting every Tuesday evening until 20th February.
Today’s post is a couscous recipe which is perfect for sharing with many pals, written by one of MILK’s top cooking stars, Fatiha, who was a complete pleasure to collaborate with on this post. She started coming to MILK not long after I started volunteering here last summer and we’ve had great fun with each other since. Her English is strong, and when I asked her to contribute a piece of writing, she understood exactly the kind of thing we wanted pretty quickly. I have edited her work with my ESOL teacher hat on, meaning that while I’ve corrected a couple of grammatical bits here and there, this is all her work and her personality and love for food shines through. (KS)
Every week MILK hosts many different people, from all over the world, to a variety of workshops, gatherings and all sorts of activities, right in the heart of Govanhill, Glasgow. This leads to dozens of fascinating conversations and insights. And what subject can unite a diverse array of humans more than food!
This blog is a way of giving voice to some really interesting people, whose perspective you might not hear much ordinarily, or whose words might get drowned out by all the noise from media either social or mainstream. The articles we present here will be the result of ongoing collective efforts from old Scots, new Scots, and individuals from various migrant backgrounds. This collaborative writing and editing process is ongoing, flexible and open to change, as we explore the best ways to write together and highlight the importance of centring and valuing migrant voices.
All of us at MILK are continually enriched by what we hear and learn from others here and this food blog is a way for bringing those conversations to a wider audience. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
My Couscous Story
Written by Fatiha Safi
Today I share my couscous story with you. So my love for couscous started when I was a child. It was when I was waiting for Friday to eat with my family that I picked up their love for food, especially couscous, along the way. The conversation in my family most of the time was about the next meal. Sometimes we are having lunch and talking about what we are going to have for dinner! I think that’s why I love to cook and eat as well.
My mum was the first person who taught me how to make couscous at around 15 or 16, and to be honest, it wasn’t that easy, especially to roll the semolina. I still remember one day my mum asked to make couscous for them and I put more water than should be on semolina, and I didn’t know how to fix the problem. After thinking for a long time, I carried the pot of semolina to the roof to expose it to the sun, and that was funny, and after that, every time I told them that I will make couscous, they made fun of me, saying, “Don’t make it today, it’s not sunny!”
Like most Moroccan meals, couscous is traditionally served in a gasaa (communal large round plate) that everyone sits around to enjoy together. Before talking about how to make couscous, let’s have a look at the specific pot to make it.
A couscous pot is essentially two stacked pots with a steamer on top, made of stainless steel or aluminium. Copper pots can be quite pricey, and clay ones are also available. No matter the material, the couscous pot has three parts: the barma (stockpot) is the first level to cook meat, vegetables and broth. The second level is a steaming basket which has holes that allow the steam in the bottom chamber to cook the semolina above it and the last part is the lid to cover the steamer for faster cooking.
To make couscous we need meat (beef, lamb or chicken) and vegetables (all or a selection of carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, courgettes, tomato and onion). It's also nice to add soaked chickpeas or fresh fava beans. Also we need semolina and spices. It is hard to give quantities, as I usually judge by eye, but for a large group of people I would use 2 litres of water for 1 kg of couscous, and then a further ½ kg of each of the vegetables.
Recipe
Ingredients:
Meat
Spices: ground ginger, turmeric, salt and black pepper (according to taste)
Onion
Tomato
Oil
Butter / smen (Moroccan preserved butter)
Chickpeas (soaked overnight) or fresh fava beans
Carrot
Turnip
Sweet potato
Semolina
Vegetable oil for mixing couscous
Cabbage
Courgettes
Pumpkin
Red chilli and coriander to taste
Lben to drink alongside (Moroccan sour milk - optional)
Step 1:
Put the meat in the barma (stockpot) add spices, onion, tomato, oil and butter or smen (Moroccan preserved butter). Pour boiling water (2 litres per kg of couscous) and add chickpeas and root vegetables (carrot, turnip, sweet potato).
Step 2:
Prepare couscous. Add a cup of cold water to the semolina and work the couscous; lift grains, rub them, make sure they are all coated with water and transfer the couscous to the top of the pot to steam it.
Step 3:
Steam couscous for about 20 minutes from when the steam rises, round 1. On a large plate, empty the couscous. Add water to the couscous. Use a wooden spoon or fork to break it. Leave it to rest for a few minutes and return it to steam a second time, for about 15-20 minutes, round 2. Check the root vegetables. If they’re done, take them out from the pot. The sweet potato will be the first to be done.
Step 4:
Empty the couscous onto the large plate. Add water again with salt and gently break the couscous grains with a fork and continue fluffing the couscous. This time add vegetable oil and let it rest for a while.
Step 5:
Add the rest of the vegetables (cabbage, courgettes, pumpkin and don’t forget red chilli and coriander) giving it time to cook.
Step 6:
Steam couscous, again for about 15-20 minutes, round 3. Transfer the couscous to the couscous top and place it back over the meat pot. When you notice the steam rising from the couscous let it steam for more minutes or until done. If you test the grains, you will actually know when they are ready. Once done, empty the couscous onto a gasaa (traditional plate for couscous) and fluff again, but this time just with butter or smen.
Step 7:
Plate couscous. Taste your sauce and adjust the seasoning; salt and pepper until it’s perfect. Place the couscous in a dome shape. Pour some of the broth over the couscous grains, place the meat in the middle. Arrange the veggies around and on top of the couscous. Don’t forget the chickpeas and the chilli pepper for a spicy finish. Serve with Moroccan lben (sour milk).
I shared the recipe and the dish with MILK people because I love them and I appreciate the efforts that the founders of MILK make for us and to make integration easier for us in this community, and because couscous is a collective dish, I love to share it with my new family here.
Fatiha is from Chawia, which is close to Casablanca in Morocco, and moved to Glasgow last year. She is crazy about baking and cooking. And eating as well! She wants to try new foods from here and other countries, and one day open her own delicatessen.