Couscous, made from durum what, has its origins in the Berber cuisine of Maghrib or Maghreb. Berbers are the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa, which include the present day countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania. The Berber word is k’seksu and although it is a staple of North Africa, it is also widely made in the Middle East and each region has its own unique variations on preparing and serving couscous. Traditionally, couscous is coated with oil or butter and cooked by steaming in a double boiler; the cook will often separate the grains as they get steamed to avoid lumps. North African couscous usually comes in smaller grains as compared to the Israeli couscous and serves as a bed for stews made of lamb, chicken or vegetables. Couscous is also popular in salads like tabbouleh and kisir.

I was introduced to couscous by my North African friends when I lived in Bordeaux, France. Our hostel was filled with students from almost every country in the world, especially Africa, and I hit it off with the girls from the Maghreb, Djibouti, Somalia, etc. right off the bat. They had all grown up watching Bollywood movies subtitled in French and sought me out for updates on their favorite stars.

Couscous and harissa always takes me back to our small communal kitchen in the hostel where we cooked together with spices from Africa and Asia and combined them with classic European ingredients, for example, pasta with harissa was our staple dinner with a large fresh and green salad with a very French vinaigrette and a side of khobz or Moroccan flatbread.

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Step by Step

1. Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp oil
2. Add
   • 1/2 cup chopped onion
   • 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3. Sauté till the onions are transparent and the garlic releases its aroma (about 2-3 mins)
4. Then add
   • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, whole, or any small tomatoes (substitute with a regular tomato chopped into bite sized pieces)
   • 1 cup pearl couscous
   • 1 tsp of harissa paste (start with 1/2 tsp and add more if you want more heat). See substitute below in Tips.
5. Sauté for 30-40 secs till everything is coated with harissa
6. Add 1.5 cups water and 1.5 tsp salt
7. Cover and cook till the couscous is soft and all the water has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and set aside.

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8. While the couscous is cooking, we can sauté the kale.
9. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan
10. Add the ribboned kale leaves, sprinkle with some salt and pepper and sauté uncovered for 2-3 minutes till wilted and soft.
11. Prepare the bowl as follows:
    • 1/2 cup warm couscous
    • 1/2 cup sautéed kale
    • 1 tbsp hummus (store bought)
    • Sliced cucumbers
    • Pita chips

Some Tips

Pearl couscous is better for this bowl as the grains are bigger than the traditional couscous.

You can add herbs like cilantro, parsley and mint to the salad after the couscous is cooked.

If you don’t have harissa on hand you can substitute with sriracha or any other chili paste. Or you can mix any dry red chili powder (Indian, chipotle, Guajillo, paprika, etc.) with olive oil, salt, lemon juice, and cumin powder in a small bowl and add it to the couscous instead of harissa.