This scrumptious Rainbow Couscous is packed with vitamins and Yumminess! It is said that the healthiest way to eat is to consume all the colors of the rainbow throughout any given day. This basically means that by eating a wide range of different colored vegetables and fruit, you’re sure to cover the vitamin and mineral requirements your body needs daily. This particular couscous covers a good range of those colors in just one meal!
Growing up as an expat in Hong Kong meant that my father was almost always away on business trips. In fact he was away from home for almost 2/3’s of the year, traveling to China, Europe and the US etc. While I missed him dearly when he was away, he was always sure to bring back some culinary treats he discovered and was always so excited to share them with the family. His (as well as my mother’s) love and passion for food is what made me who I am today - a true Gourmande!
I have tried all sorts of dishes for the first time thanks to him... Caviar, foie gras, bird’s nest soup and snake to name a few. My father is a man that literally is willing to try any food! He is one of the most open minded people with regards to food experimenting!
One year I remember quite fondly, was when he returned from a business trip to France with a box of couscous grains and a packet of delightful couscous spices. At that time Hong Kong was already very international - culinary wise, however I had never tried or seen couscous.
A client in Paris had taken him to a couscous restaurant, and he loved it so much he went shopping to buy the basic ingredients before returning to Hong Kong to prepare the dish and share it with the family. It was from that moment that I fell in love with the dish!
When I moved to France towards the end of highschool to study, I went to couscous restaurants at least once or twice a month. The fragrant spices and beautiful combination of the grains with the delicious sauce always brought me great joy and comfort. It was also a pleasant reminder of the days my father was actually home with us sharing his culinary adventures.
I hope you enjoy this heart warming recipe as much as I do!
INGREDIENTS:
COUSCOUS SPICE MIX:
1 tbsp. Ground coriander seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
COUSCOUS SAUCE/STEW:
4 large chicken thighs (can omit for vegetarian version)
2 medium sized onions
2 cans (800 gms) tomato purée
2 tbsp tomato paste
350 gms chick peas
2 Japanese eggplants
2 carrots
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 zucchini
1/3 large daikon (large white radish)
2 tbsp olive oil
150 ml chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
340 gms couscous grains
Salt to taste
Harissa
METHOD:
1) Mix the couscous spices together in a bowl and set aside.
2) Prepare Instant Pot and choose sauté function to preheat the pot. Chop all Vegetables into bite sized cubes/chunks.
3) Cut the chicken thighs and onions into 3 cm sized chunks. Add them to the instant pot and sauté until chicken is no longer pink and the onion is slightly translucent.
4) Add the spices to the meat and sauté for around 1.5 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat.
5) Once well incorporated, add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken broth. Stir well and then add the root vegetables: carrots and long white radish. Sauté for a minute longer and then close the lid of the instant pot and change function to Pressure cooking mode (make sure the valve is on sealing mode) for 20 mins.
6) In the meantime prepare couscous grains in a bowl.
7) Once cooking time has finished, cancel the pressure cooking mode. Release pressure manually, turning valve from sealing mode to release mode. Wait for all the steam to release.
8) Open the pot, add in remaining vegetables, cover again, seal and cook for another 8 minutes. Once time is finished, release steam manually. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9) During this time, prepare the couscous grains based on the instructions on the packet.
10) Prepare couscous grains in a deep dish and spoon the sauce over the grains. Serve with Harissa for an extra kick of spice!
Bon Appétit!!
Gastronomically yours,
Pia
I’m obsessed with a great cous cous! Thank you for posting!!! On my cooking to do list!
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