Culture

Couscous is the wonder-kid of the meal-accompaniment world. I mean, sure, rice is nice (until you have to clean the pot or dish you cooked it in), and pasta is fab (yet can be a little stodgy on the odd occasion), but couscous, on the other hand, is light and fluffy, easy to make, and super-duper versatile, and for that reason alone it shall forever occupy a prized position on my pantry shelf (next to the quinoa I like to think I use but don’t, and the brown rice I’ve recently relegated to go-to meal-base number two).

The combination of chilli and cinnamon in this recipe packs a spicy punch, and when served with the minted couscous, yoghurt, and cashew nuts, it delivers on the flavour and texture fronts too. Serve with hummus for extra awesomeness. (And just in case you don’t love couscous as much as yours truly, the stew makes a great filling for wraps, pies, and samosas too.)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
400g can tinned tomatoes
400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed
½ cup sultanas
400g pumpkin or kumara, cubed
2 carrots, diced
1 cup cashew nuts
2 cups of couscous
1 tbsp butter
1 vege oxo cube or 1 tbsp vege stock powder
4 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Unsweetened yoghurt (optional)
Hummus (optional)

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook for five minutes, until brown.

2. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, chilli, and a couple of tablespoons of water and fry off for a minute or so.

3. Now add the tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, sultanas, and one cup of water.

4. Boil the mixture and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. Add the pumpkin and/or kumara and the carrot and cook for a further half an hour, or until the pieces have softened.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Pour 2 ½ cups of boiling water into a large bowl, add the vegetable stock, and stir. Pour in the couscous, add a dash of olive oil, cover, and leave for 10 minutes.

8. Add the butter and half of the fresh mint, and stir in as you fluff the couscous with a fork.

9. Serve the stew atop the couscous with some natural yoghurt flavoured with the remaining mint and/or some hummus on the side.