Moroccan · Main course

Souss Argan Couscous

A couscous from the Souss, the argan heartland — steamed semolina finished with nutty argan oil and amlou-adjacent richness, piled with sweet caramelised onions, chickpeas and seasonal vegetables. The argan oil, drizzled over at the end, gives it a distinctive toasted, almost hazelnut depth found nowhere else.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 75 min
Total: 105 min
Serves: 6
Level: Medium

Ingredients

500 g couscous
3 tbsp culinary argan oil, plus extra to finish
200 g cooked chickpeas
2 onions, sliced, plus 1 tbsp honey for the confit
3 carrots and 2 courgettes, in batons
1/2 tsp saffron, 1 tsp ginger, 1 cinnamon stick
3 tbsp olive oil or smen, salt, black pepper

Method

1

Start the broth

In the base of a couscoussier, soften the sliced onion in oil, add saffron, ginger, cinnamon and 1.2 litres water and simmer.
2

Steam the couscous

Steam the couscous over the broth in three stages, rubbing it with a little water, salt and argan oil between each to separate the grains.
3

Cook the vegetables

Add the carrots, then courgettes and chickpeas to the broth and simmer until tender.
4

Make onion confit

Separately caramelise a sliced onion with the honey and a little cinnamon until dark and sweet.
5

Assemble

Mound the couscous, top with the vegetables, chickpeas and onion confit, moisten with broth and finish with a generous drizzle of argan oil.

Chef's tips

Use culinary (roasted) argan oil, not cosmetic — its toasted, nutty flavour is the whole signature.
Add the argan oil at the end off the heat; cooking it hard dulls its delicate flavour.
Steam the couscous properly in stages for light, separate grains rather than a stodgy mass.

Frequently asked questions

Where does argan oil come from?

The argan tree grows almost exclusively in the Souss region of southwest Morocco; its kernels are pressed into a prized nutty oil.

Can I use olive oil instead?

You can, but you lose the defining toasted-argan flavour; for a true Souss couscous, argan oil is essential.