[Algerian couscous with tomato sauce] Scrumptious North African dish

I've always liked North African food.

Did I tell you that all my culinary experience started in the summer I spent in France for the first time as an eighteen-year-old freshman?

I ate and ate and ate in Paris. I met a new world I had never imagined such a delicious world would exist. There were so many new marvelous food.


And one of wonderful food I met was couscous.

Well we eat couscous in North America, but French eats couscous much more regularly and often.

It was elected as the second favorite dish of French people in 2006

, according to the survey of the managzines Notre Temps.

 I think French cuisine has been influenced by its old colonies like Algeria, Morocco and Mali, where the main carbohydrate source.

Lasagna would be my very favorite food.

Then couscous would come as my second favorite.
Confession: I have many second favorite food :)


This is not difficult to make.


You actually don't need a couscoussier.


I have cooked couscous without couscoussier over 10 years before Mr. D. gave me one for the 2011 Christmas gift. :) Actually we drove down to Montreal all together to buy a couscoussier.

Here goes the recipe for couscous au sauce tomate à l'Algérienne.
(Algerian couscous with tomato sauce)
This recipe is from my Algerian colleague.

 
Ingredients
1 pound meat (chicken, beef, or lamb)
1 big onion (or 2 small onions)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablesppoon olive oil
Any kind of hard fruit vegetables, such as carrot, zuchhini, and broccoli
1 cup couscous
1 can chickpea, drained and rinsed
1 can tomato paste
Water
Salt
Pepper
1 ts paprika


How to make:


 1. Cut onion, zucchini, carrots and beef (or chicken) into 1/2 inch cubes.
Slice garlic.



2. Heat the oil in a skillet or pot over medium heat.


Cook and stir the garlic, onion until transparent and tender.


3. Add meat, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Cook over medium-high heat until brown.




4. Add water to cover all the ingredients completely.


Cover the pot with a lid, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.


5. Add zuchini, carrots, broccoli, and chickpea and cook until tender.


6. Add tomato paste and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.


Sauce is ready. You must want liquidy sauce to soak your couscous. :)


7. Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to the instructions on the package cover.
As I now have couscoussier(couscous cooker), I steamed couscous.
But, before I had had couscous, I simply boiled for preparation.



Place couscous in a big serving plate and garnish with sauce.

It's pretty easy, eh?

It's really good. Why don't you give it a try? :)

Have a nice Sunday!



Couscous Algérien en Sauce Tomate