Couscous | How to Cook the Traditional Arabic Couscous Dish

Name: Couscous | How to Cook the Traditional Arabic Couscous Dish
Rating: 5.0 (3 reviews)

Easiest Method to Make Traditional Couscous as a Native Arab

Created byBen Red

Last updated 11/2020

English

What you'll learn

What ingredients you need to cook the Traditional Arabic Couscous.
What materials you use to make Traditional Arabic Couscous.
How to cook the real Traditional Arabic Couscous.
You will be able to watch how to cook Traditional Arabic Couscous step by step.
You will be able to listen to the detailed explanation in English of every step of making the Traditional Arabic Couscous.
You will be able to decorate the couscous as a real traditional arab family.
You will benefit from the high video quality which this course was recorded in (HD).

Course content

3 sections • 16 lectures • 47m total length

Ingredients We Will Use.1:14
- Note that you can also add other vegetables such as zucchini and turnip.
- Also, chilli is a preference. If you don't like spicy, you can remove it, and you will still have the best taste of Arabic Couscous dish.
- When you go to buy couscous in a supermarket, or an Arabic supermarket, you may find that there are 3 types of couscous ; small grains, medium grains, larger grains. The one that I used is medium grains. Medium and larger grains are easier to prepare.
Materials (Tools) We Will Need.0:54
- For the container, it doesn't have to be that big. Smaller one can do the job.
- For the Couscous pot, you can either find it in an Arabic supermarket, or you can just order it online.
Vegetables Preparation1:04
- If you have a blender and you want to use it to cut onions and tomatoes, make sure you don't cut them very small.
- If you don't have the red knife that I used to peel carrots and potatoes, you can use a normal knife to do both the peeling and the cutting.

Cooking Onions.2:44
- You will know that onions are cooked when their color start to turn into yellow. Make sure it doesn't burn too much and turns dark. Keep mixing for that not to happen.
- You can also add one or two pieces of garlic and cook it at the same time with onions.
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Cooking Onions and Tomatoes5:35
- When onions are yellow enough, you put tomatoes. Each one or two minutes, mix with a spoon to avoid sticking.
- When water is gone for the first time, you can add more sunflower oil to cook it better and avoid getting stuck.
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Cooking Chicken Wings.2:54
- Note that you can also cook this dish with other types of meat such as : cow meat, sheep meat and turkey meat.
- You can add some spices such as : black pepper powder and/or cumin when first you put chicken wings in the pot. You put spices that you like with salt.
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Mixing Onions, Tomatoes and Chicken Wings.2:01
- You put onions and tomatoes when chicken wings are yellow, you should not let them stick at the bottom of the pot.
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Adding Water, Carrots, Canned Tomatoes and Salt.4:31
- If you are going to use less amount of everything, you will have to put less water as well. Two liters will be enough. Know that around more than one liter will be gone by the end of the cooking process ; water will vaporize (it goes as a steam).
- After one hour has passed (it can be less than one hour if you are not using the same number of ingredients and water as I am doing.), you take off the cover and check the mix if it's salty enough or not, you can add more salt if you like. You check the carrots if they are cooked or not. If carrots are cooked, it's the time to put potatoes. If carrots are not cooked, you should cover the pot again and wait for around 15 minutes, then check again.
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Adding Potatoes.2:14
- Add potatoes when carrots are cooked or almost cooked. You can take out one piece of carrot and taste it. If it's still hard, it means it's not yet time to put potatoes. If the carrots are cooked or almost cooked, you can put potatoes.
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Adding Chilli.0:49
Chilli is a preference and is not a necessity at all. You put as you like, or if you do no put any, you will still have the best dish of Traditional Arabic Couscous.
Finishing With The First Part (The Liquid Part).1:17
- If carrots and potatoes are cooked, but you still see that there is a lot of water (more than you see in the one that I did), it's okay to let it cook more ; so that we can get rid of the water. To accelerate the process of getting rid of the water, do not cover the pot at this stage.
- Also, do a last time check from salt.

Preparing Couscous For The Dish 015:33
- Check the couscous every 15 minutes. It may take up to 30 minutes. It depends on the temperature you are cooking at.
- You know that the couscous is cooked when the inside of the cover is very steamy. At this stage, you can tell that it's cooked and you can move to the next step.
- Remember to turn off the stove when the couscous is ready for safety reasons.
- You can start cooking the second part of couscous in the hour that you are waiting for the first part (liquid part) to be cooked. But if you think you will be overtasked, especially if you are not used to cook a lot, just wait until you finish with the liquid part. When the first part is cooked (the big pot), you put it aside and you start doing the second part.
- Note that you can also use only one pot ; the Couscous pot, if it's big enough. You can cook the liquid part (onions, tomatoes water, carrots potatoes..etc) in the lower part, and the couscous (second part) in the upper part of the pot (the part where there are holes in it).
- The stove temperature should be around 200 degrees celsius for all parts of cooking this dish.
Preparing Couscous For The Dish 027:33
- Use your hands to separate the couscous from each others. It should be all separated. When you put olive oil, it will be much easier to separate it.
- Bare in mind that olive oil is crucial for the Arabic Traditional Couscous making.
- Put water drops slowly by using your hand. Mix every time you put water. At this process, we want to make the couscous wet, but not too wet. If you are not sure when to stop putting water, know that it's better to put less water than to put more.
- The reason why the couscous is cooked twice is to make it softer and much easier to chew, this is one of the special practices about Traditional Arabic Couscous.
Preparing Couscous For The Dish 032:05
- After you put what you need from couscous, you can leave the rest in the upper pot until it becomes cooler, than you can keep it in the fridge. Usually it can stay up to 3 days in the fridge and it's still eatable. For the liquid part, you let it become cooler, than put it in the fridge. The liquid part can stay in the fridge up to 4 days.
- Most likely, you will have to make more couscous because you have a lot of the liquid part. So just make the second part of the couscous since you already have the first part already done in the fridge.
Finishing And Decorating.6:54
- At this stage, we don't have to put water as we did in the first time, but we will put more olive oil.
- Know that decorating the couscous dish is one of the most important things in the Arab world traditions.
The Result.0:30
I hope you had a good time making couscous and I hope you will have a better time eating it. Enjoy !

Requirements

You will need a Couscous pot. It's a pot of two parts : upper part, and down part. The upper part has holes in it. You can get it online or at the supermarket.
Other requirements are basic kitchen tools such as : pan, pot, stove, knife...etc.
You DO NOT need any prior knowledge about cooking. This course will accompany you in all the steps with precise explanations.
This course is for beginners, intermediates or professional cooks.

Description

In this comprehensive course, you will delve into the rich heritage of Arab cuisine, with a special focus on North African culinary traditions. We will take you on a journey through time, introducing you to the most cherished dish in Arab culture since the 11th century: Traditional Arabic Couscous. This course offers an authentic experience, sharing the secrets and techniques passed down through generations.

You will learn how to make Traditional Arabic Couscous from scratch, guided by my personal experience and the expertise of my mother, a seasoned Traditional Arabic food chef with over 20 years of culinary mastery. Her passion and knowledge have shaped this course to bring you the most authentic and delicious couscous.

Our course covers every aspect of the couscous-making process. You will start by learning how to select the finest ingredients to ensure the best flavor and texture. From there, we'll walk you through the art of decorating the couscous, enhancing its visual appeal to match its taste. Finally, you will master the preparation and cooking techniques that transform these ingredients into a mouthwatering final dish.

To support your learning, the course features several detailed videos, each covering a specific step of the couscous-making process. These videos are accompanied by clear and thorough explanations, narrated in a fluent English accent to ensure you grasp every detail. The step-by-step guidance is designed to make the process approachable and straightforward, even for beginners.

This course is meticulously organized to simplify the preparation of Traditional Arabic Couscous. Our goal is to make you feel confident and inspired in your culinary skills, allowing you to recreate this beloved dish in your own kitchen with ease.

You are invited to embark on this culinary adventure and live the experience yourself. Join us and discover the joy and satisfaction of making Traditional Arabic Couscous, a timeless dish that embodies the heart and soul of Arab cuisine.

Who this course is for:

This course is for you if you enjoy trying other cultures food.
This course is for you if you have heard a lot about couscous, but never had the chance to try it.
This course is for you if you have an arab friend who keeps mentioning how delicious couscous is, but they never invited you to try it.
This course is for you if you are a big fan of cooking.
This course is for you if you want to surprise someone of how much of a food culture kind of person you are.

Couscous | How to Cook the Traditional Arabic Couscous Dish

What you'll learn

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Course content

Getting Ready3 lectures • 3min

Cooking The First Part of Couscous (the Liquid Part)8 lectures • 22min

Cooking Second Part Of Couscous.5 lectures • 23min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: