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Couscous royal
The festive North African couscous with lamb, chicken and merguez
Couscous royal is the big-occasion couscous that Algerian and Moroccan families brought to France and that is now served for weddings and Sunday gatherings from Oran to Marseille: a pot of lamb and chicken simmered with vegetables and chickpeas in a mildly spiced broth, grilled merguez on the side, and a mountain of steamed couscous. The mistake is putting all the vegetables in at once; the courgettes go mushy while the turnips are still hard, so add them in stages. Chef's tip: brown the lamb and chicken well before the water goes in; that colour flavours the whole broth.
- Total time
- 160 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the broth
Vegetables
Couscous and merguez
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large pot or couscoussier base. Brown 1 ¾ lb lamb shoulder or neck in batches for 8 minutes, then brown 8 chicken thighs for 5 minutes. Set the chicken aside.
15 minStep 2: Add 2 onions to the lamb and cook for 6 minutes, then stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp ras el hanout, 1 tsp paprika, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 ⅞ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
8 minStep 3: Pour in 10 ½ cups water, bring to the boil and skim. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
45 minStep 4: Add the chicken back with 4 carrots and 3 small turnips and simmer for 25 minutes.
25 minStep 5: Meanwhile put 1 ⅓ lb medium couscous in a wide bowl with the rest of ⅝ tsp salt, sprinkle over 300 ml water and rub between your palms. Leave 10 minutes, then steam over the broth for 20 minutes. Tip out, break up the grains, sprinkle with 150 ml water and steam for 15 minutes more.
35 minStep 6: Add 3 courgettes, 10 ½ oz pumpkin and 14 oz cooked chickpeas to the broth for the last 15 minutes. The chicken must reach 165°F and the lamb should be tender when pierced.
15 minStep 7: While the vegetables cook, grill or pan-fry 1 ⅓ lb merguez sausages for 8–10 minutes, turning, until browned and cooked through to 160°F.
10 minStep 8: Rub 1 ⅜ oz butter or olive oil into the hot couscous. Pile it in a large dish, ladle over some broth and arrange the meats and vegetables. Serve the rest of the broth in a bowl, with 2 tbsp harissa stirred into a ladle of it for those who like it hot. Chill leftovers within 2 hours and keep 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does couscous royal take?
- About 160 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
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