Cooking with Couscous
Recipes with Couscous — Steaming Morocco's National Grain the Right Way
Couscous (seksou) is more than a dish in Morocco — it is Friday itself, the grain steamed for the family meal after midday prayers. Made from semolina rolled into tiny pellets, real couscous is steamed, never boiled, three times over a simmering pot of stew so each grain swells light and separate. The result bears no resemblance to the instant version soaked in a bowl. This guide covers the great couscous dishes, the traditional steaming method that makes them, and how to buy and handle the grain so it turns out fluffy rather than claggy.
How Moroccans cook couscous
Authentic couscous is steamed in a couscoussier, the two-part pot whose perforated top sits over a bubbling stew below. The grain is steamed, tipped out, moistened with water and oil and raked with the fingers to separate it, then steamed again — three times in all — until light and tender. This labour is what sets a Friday couscous apart. The steam carries the aroma of the stew up into the grain, so it tastes of the whole pot. Boiling couscous in water, by contrast, gives a heavy, gluey grain no Moroccan cook would serve to guests.
The best Moroccan couscous dishes
Couscous with seven vegetables — the Friday classic, a mound of grain topped with lamb or beef and a rainbow of vegetables in a saffron-ginger broth. Couscous tfaya — crowned with sweet caramelised onions, raisins and cinnamon. Barley couscous (seksou belboula) — a rustic, nuttier version. Seffa — sweet couscous with almonds, cinnamon and icing sugar, sometimes with milk (seffa medfouna). Fish couscous on the coast. Begin with the seven-vegetable couscous; it teaches the steaming rhythm and feeds a crowd.
Steaming technique and quantities
Allow roughly 60-80g of dry couscous per person. Rub the grain first with a little water and oil so it starts to swell, then steam uncovered over the stew for fifteen to twenty minutes per round. Between steamings, spread it on a wide dish, sprinkle with salted water, and rake with your fingers or a fork to break up lumps and let it absorb evenly. A final rounds with a knob of butter or a trickle of oil enriches it. If you must use quick couscous, at least steam it once over the stew to lift it above the instant texture.
Buying and storing couscous
Look for dried couscous by grain size — fine, medium and coarse — with medium the everyday choice; barley and maize couscous appear in markets too. Fresh hand-rolled couscous, sold in some souks, is a treat but must be used or dried promptly. Dried couscous is inexpensive and keeps for a year or more in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard, safe from damp and pantry moths. Buy the plain grain rather than pre-seasoned boxes so you control the flavour, and store it well sealed away from strong smells.
Cook's tips
- Steam, never boil — boiling gives a heavy, gluey grain.
- Steam three times, raking with oiled or salted-water fingers between each round.
- Allow 60-80g of dry couscous per person.
- Finish with a knob of butter or trickle of oil for a richer, glossier grain.
- Even quick couscous improves with a single steam over the stew before serving.
Questions about cooking with Couscous
Why do Moroccans steam couscous instead of boiling it?
Steaming lets each grain swell slowly and stay separate, giving the light, fluffy texture that defines a proper couscous. The rising steam also carries the stew's aroma into the grain. Boiling waterlogs the semolina into a heavy, sticky mass, which is why the instant soaked version tastes so different.
What is a couscoussier?
A couscoussier is the traditional two-part steaming pot: a deep lower pan holds the simmering meat-and-vegetable stew, and a perforated upper basket holds the couscous, which cooks in the rising steam. If you lack one, a colander or steamer set snugly over a stew pot, sealed at the join with a damp cloth, does the same job.
What is tfaya?
Tfaya is a sweet topping of onions slow-cooked with raisins, honey, cinnamon and saffron until dark and jammy. Spooned over couscous with tender meat, it gives the sweet-savoury contrast Moroccans love. Couscous tfaya is a festive favourite, often served at weddings and to honour guests.
How much couscous should I cook per person?
Around 60 to 80g of dry couscous per person is a good guide, remembering the grain roughly triples in volume once steamed. For a generous shared Moroccan meal with plenty of meat and vegetables on top, aim toward the higher end, since couscous is the centrepiece and leftovers are always welcome.
Can I make couscous without a couscoussier?
Yes — set a fine metal colander or steamer basket over your stew pot, sealing the gap with a strip of damp cloth or dough so steam rises only through the grain. Steam in rounds, raking between each, just as you would in a couscoussier. It takes a little improvising but works well.
Cook these dishes with a local in Marrakech
Learn to handle couscous the Moroccan way in a hands-on cooking class, or taste it across the medina on a guided food tour.