Harissa Couscous And Chickpeas Recipe

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This harissa couscous and chickpeas recipe takes a basic couscous, packs it with vegetarian-friendly protein and spicy Moroccan harissa sauce. It makes a filling main course or can be repurposed for a fresh salad.

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How To Cook A Moroccan Couscous Recipe

On a recent trip to Morocco, we learned an authentic Moroccan couscous recipe from a grandmother in a small village. We were in Moulay Idriss, a devoutly Muslim village.

It’s a town with blue and green painted walls down almost every alleyway. We did a village homestay for a night and enjoyed a fabulous local meal of Moroccan style couscous.

The woman taught us how to cook perfect couscous. Of course, I don’t remember all of the specifics as her version was time-consuming with loads of steps to steam, moisten, and fluff the couscous. Her lesson made me want to figure out how to make a better, more authentic couscous at home.

Moroccan Couscous With Chickpeas Spiked With Harissa

This was one of the most common dishes we ate in Morocco, aside from tagine. In fact, chickpeas were kind of placed on top of a ton of dishes including couscous.

I enjoy couscous, but it can get a little, well, blah, on its own. We just love spicy and flavorful food. Harissa is just one way to flavor couscous. 

That’s why I love a good couscous with harissa chickpeas. It just makes the couscous come alive with typical Moroccan spices. Harissa is a Moroccan chili paste that is found on the table at almost every meal in Morocco.

We ate harissa while in Morocco on top of couscous, tagines, and even camel burgers! So, why not add it to couscous and chickpeas at home? 

Check out our recipe for Easy Moroccan Inspired Quinoa And Chickpea Salad.

What Is Harissa Chili Paste

Harissa is a chili paste that is popular in Northern Africa cuisine. It’s normally made with a mix of chili peppers, cumin, and coriander. We fell in love with the flavor of harissa when traveling in Morocco.

Moroccan cuisine is not generally spicy, but harissa is served on the side of a lot of dishes allowing diners to add their own spice. I like to cook with harissa because we like spicy food and the harissa adds a depth of flavor that you can’t get from just adding fresh peppers. 

Where To Buy Harissa Chili Paste

It’s becoming a lot more common to find harissa at grocery stores in the US and in the UK. Look for it in the international food aisle. You can find harissa in a tube or a jar. When in a jar, it kind of looks like red pesto sauce. 

It can be found in both a tube or a jar. I look for jarred harissa, which looks almost like red pesto. I like the harissa by Mina, which you can buy on Amazon here.

Check out our other Moroccan harissa recipes:

For more harissa uses, check out some of these other recipes. 

Spicy And Creamy Harissa Hummus Recipe

Harissa-Spiked Moroccan Stew With Pumpkin And Chickpeas

Harissa Vegetarian Moroccan Lentil Stew Recipe

Moroccan Roasted Harissa Chicken With Chickpeas

Ingredients For Harissa Couscous And Chickpeas

The main ingredients for this dish are right in the title, harissa, Moroccan couscous, and chickpeas. The base of the dish includes shallots, garlic, and diced coriander stems. Using diced coriander stems helps to infuse the dish with the flavor of coriander without wilting coriander. 

The seasoning for the couscous comes from the harissa and cumin. Cumin provides an earthy and nutty flavor to dishes. The harissa brings the spice. Add a little less or a little more depending on how much heat you want. 

All of these ingredients are mixed with vegetable broth and the drained and rinsed chickpeas. The chickpeas need to have enough broth to cook without drowning them. At the end, add a bit of lemon juice for a little bit of acid.

How To Prepare Couscous

It’s best to follow the instructions on the package of couscous you bought, just in case. Watch the ratio of couscous to water. For example, for one cup of dry couscous use about 1 1/4 cup of liquid.

I like to warm water or vegetable broth on a stovetop with a tablespoon of olive oil and a dash of salt. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Stir in the couscous. Cover the saucepan with a lid and remove it from the heat. Set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer beeps, remove the lid and fluff with a fork. That’s it. Pretty easy. 

In this case, I try to make the couscous while I am cooking the harissa chickpeas. The chickpeas don’t take that long though and will reheat the couscous if you make the couscous ahead of time. 

How To Prepare This Harissa Couscous Recipe With Chickpeas

Once the couscous is prepared, the rest of this recipe is super easy. Warm olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat.

Once warm, add shallot, garlic, and coriander stems and coat them in the olive oil. Cook until the shallots and garlic start to soften, but not brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the cumin and harissa and coat in the olive oil. Add the chickpeas and broth. Cook about 10 minutes until the chickpeas start to soften. Stir occasionally. 

Fluff the cooked couscous with a fork. Move the chickpeas to the bowl with the couscous with a slotted spoon. Stir the chickpeas into the couscous. Spritz with lemon juice but don’t soak the couscous.

Fold in fresh coriander. Serve with harissa on the side for extra spice. 

Modifications And Variations

For a cold version or to jazz up some leftovers, try making this a harissa couscous salad. For a tasty harissa chickpea salad toss in diced cucumbers, diced fresh peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, or really any other salad ingredients you have in the fridge.

Drizzle some fresh olive oil and maybe some shredded fresh cilantro or fresh mint too. Other greens to add include chopped spinach or kale.

FAQs – How To Make Moroccan Couscous

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