Lamb with Moroccan cous cous

How to make lamb with Moroccan cous cous . Today we are going to prepare a Moroccan meat recipe .

This dish is one of the most representative and important in Moroccan cuisine, it is prepared regularly in houses using one of the star ingredients of the North African area, cous cous .

In Morocco, cous cous is used with seasonal vegetables and some meat, in Algeria, Tabulé is made and many other recipes that have the cous cous as a contribution of carbohydrates for endless dishes, are present within the Arab culture.

While for the tabouleh the cous cous does not need to use fire to cook, in this Moroccan dish it has to be steamed in the traditional couscous. Although it is most likely that we do not have this utensil at home, we can easily manage to find a substitute and not stop preparing this healthy, nutritious and very tasty recipe. In my case I have used one of those metal strainers that are used to drain the pasta and the result has been perfect.

We can substitute lamb meat for others such as chicken or beef, but making this recipe with lamb will show you another way of cooking it in addition to being the favorite of Moroccans.

The special thing about this dish is the slow and prolonged cooking of the meat with the different vegetables and the fact of cooking the cous cous with the steam of the stew, which gives it an exceptional flavor.

If by logistics in the kitchen you cannot cook the cous cous on top of the pot where you prepare the meat, you can always do it separately, the touch of the meat will not have it but it will be equally good.

Preparation of the vegetable base of the stew

1. We prepare all the ingredients to have on hand and use them when necessary. Peel the onion and cut it into cubes, peel and chop the tomato, wash and cut the carrot in half, lengthwise, wash and cut the zucchini in 4 parts lengthwise.
2. We open the pumpkin and remove the inner seeds and cut the cabbage into 4 parts. We wash it and reserve all the vegetables already chopped.
3. We will use the pumpkin with skin, so it is a matter of washing and cleaning it inside, removing the seeds.

Preparation of the Moroccan lamb stew

1. We clean the lamb meat from remains of fat and cut it into cubes.
2. In a large saucepan we heat 100 ml. Of olive oil. When the oil is ready, add the chopped onion and fry it. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes and add the peeled and chopped tomato. We continue cooking the vegetables for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the lamb and spices, saffron, ginger, turmeric and black pepper, and sauté the meat for up to 5 more minutes.
4. Add 2 liters of water to the saucepan and let it cook covered for 60 minutes. After this time we will add the carrots already cut to the casserole and continue cooking 25 minutes more.
5. We introduce the pumpkin and cabbage and continue cooking for another 25 minutes. After this time it is the turn of the zucchini, we add it to the casserole together with the coriander in the form of a bouquet, tying it to be able to remove it at the end of the process.
6. We continue cooking the meat with the vegetables 25 minutes more. In total the stew will be cooking for 2.5 hours, time necessary for the meat to be super tender.
7. We remove the meat and vegetables from the casserole, in an orderly manner, the meat on the one hand and the vegetables, taking great care that they remain whole on the other.
8. Add the cooked chickpeas to the casserole and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes. So we will have the sauce ready.

Preparation of the cous cous. Accompaniment of the lamb

1. We will prepare the couscous as we cook the stew. We put the couscous in a wide container, since we will have to handle it and it is convenient that it has the largest possible dimension.
2. Add ½ tbsp. of salt in 1/2 glass of water, stir to dissolve and add it to the cous cous. We also add 100 ml. olive oil and stir with your hands so that the cous cous is impregnated with the liquid. We let it sit for 20 minutes before continuing with its process.
3. With our hands we rub the cous cous to loosen it and undo any lumps and place it in a strainer. I have used the typical pasta strainer but you can use the utensil that you have at home.
4. We place the strainer over a pot where the meat will already be cooking. Or failing that, a saucepan with boiling water. We let it cook for 25 minutes.
5. After this time, we remove the strainer and pour the cous cous into the container that we initially used for hydration. We spread well over the entire surface to cool it down and breathe.
6. We add 100 ml. of water, stir to integrate it with your hands. Once the temperature allows it and we put the cous cous in the strainer again on top of the casserole with the stew or the boiling water. Let it cook 25 minutes more.
7. We repeat the operation adding 100 ml. of water and put it back to cook on the casserole. For the third time we pour the cous cous into the container and this time add the butter and another 100 ml. of water.
8. We remove so that it is absorbed uniformly and we return to place in the strainer and on the pan for the last 25 minutes.

Final presentation of the lamb with cous cous

1. We distribute the cous cous in the serving dish in such a way that it is like a crown. Circular in shape with a hole inside.
2. We put the meat in the center of the hole left by the couscous. We distribute the vegetables on the cous cous, in an orderly way all around. We water the plate with part of the chickpeas and the stew sauce and save the challenge in a sauce boat.
3. We serve the plate hot, at the moment. Ready to enjoy a properly Moroccan dish with all the essence of the Arab world.

A lamb stew that will delight you at home, I recommend that you prepare it as a unique dish for a special occasion. You can see in this step by step how to prepare this  lamb with Moroccan cous cous.