Until earlier this month, I had never tried Couscous. I have a thing against “fad” foods. On a recent trip to liquidation world, I found a box of organic couscous and the packaging was so pretty… so I bought it. I really wasn’t sure what to do with it, until I found that the lovely Ms Lohita has a Jollof couscous recipe, with that inspiration in mind I set out to create another Nigerian style couscous recipe, this time taking insight from fried rice. The recipe literally takes 10mins from start to finish
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Couscous
- 1.5 Cups chicken or beef stock *
- 2 table spoons olive oil
- 2 cups freshly chopped vegetables (Onion, tomatoes, red & green peppers, mushrooms and spring onions)
- ½ teaspoon red or black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cube magi
- ½ teaspoon pepper flakes *optional
Instructions
- Bring chicken stock to a rolling boil, add in couscous and cover tightly. Remove from heat and set aside for 5-6mins
- Add olive oil to a large pan and heat slightly. Add in the chopped vegetables, pepper, salt and magi. Toss and leave to cook for 3mins
- Lightly fluff the cooked couscous with a fork, add into the vegetable mix. Combine
- Add in the pepper flakes if using. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- CousCous is ready to serve.
Notes
- *in absence of stock, substitute same amount of water with 1 cup magi, salt to taste, a pinch of thyme, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ginger powder.
Recipe Modification:
Minced Meat Version: Simply combine the recipe as indicated with cooked minced meat. The result will look like this:
Acha is a grain that is cultivated. Couscous on the other hand is made from semolina. You can also use Acha like couscous. It is the go to food for those who are diabetic
Please i want to know wat Quinoa is in Hausa. is it Accha??
NO, it’s not the same. I dont think there is hausa name for Quinoa.
I do think quinoa is what we call Accha
No, Acha is Fonio
I love your blog 😚😚😚😚😙😙😗😗
Thank you!!
Yheh Yheh
It looks yummy!!! Got to try Dis recipe, feel like eating it already.
Let me know how it turns out
U are simply awesome. Tried it today for d first time following ur steps and I must say Twasnt as bad as I’d been made to believe. A bit mushy though, will reduce d water next time. Gracias maam! U rock!
yeiii!! that’s awesome.
Hi, i am from denmark and am marrying a man from nigeria so i would really love to try and make this for him it looks really good, i do however have a question for you, the chicken that is on the top of the dish, on the picture, can you tell me how to make that.
Thanks
Please see recipe for stewed chicken here
Preparing it coucou today Sunday, just check out Ur blog. Love it. U can get it in d market where they sell spaghetti n macaroni in large quantity.
Thanks!
Hello Ronke. It’s time for a new and improved cous cous recipe. We’re counting on you
yas! challenge accepted :)
I just made couscous using your method. It tasted great. First time of eating couscous and I’ve been won over. Thank you
yeiii!! thanks for the feedback.
I Made couscous for lunch today and I used ur recipe.. Taste so good??????..
great!! thanks for the feedback.
Nice!
Can couscous be used as a substitute for quinoa? Thank you.
unfortunately not. They cook differently.
PleAse where can I get couscous …it’s everywhere in the north but not so in Lagos
Been looking for this recipe. Worried that it may turn out too dry. Will try this out, though.
I stand to be corrected but I have seen instances where gari has been used to make couscous.Is this possible 9jafoodie.
Garri to make Couscous? I am not sure about that.. couscous is made from semolina. There is a gari dish called Gari foto that is prepared very similar to couscous though.
I love Cous cous and I make it all the time. I’ve never really been able to mix veggies in it tho, cuz I fear it would crush the cous cous too much. But then my favourite veggies are the hard ones – carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. So I add the veggies as a side.
You can also make a tomato stew base (instead of stock only base), i guess that makes it ‘jollof couscous’ lol.
I understand your view on the veggies, the texture has to work. Jollof couscous is yum.
Can’t wait to try it. Tomorrow is the day. Ty
let us know how it turns out
Trying this really soon.
I’ve made the recipe several times but modified it to include shrimp and boy! It is absolutely delicious! I try to use chicken stock (usually add a little bit of garlic and ginger for more flavor). Thank you 9jafoodie :)
we are happy to hear that!!
Flour mills of Nigeria (Golden Penny) makes instant couscous, just look around still saw it today in a local market. Great site
Thanks for the information
Yes, Flourmills of Nigeria have the best Golden penny couscous.
I’ve always been a fan of couscous…..its one of the most filling meal you can never get tired of eating, if you cook it right….takes little or no time at all to prepare…Couscous i Love…
I agree with you
You can buy instant couscous from goodies, park n shop or any lebanese owned grocery store
Thanks Calla
Please where can I buy this instant couscous in lagos?
Ohhhh!!!!!!! I just love couscous
I was just surfing the net and I stumbled upon this site, and OMG I was ecstatic wit joy cos I love to cook. I have cooked cous cous in a variety of ways and it always comes out beautifully. I look forward to reading more and more yummy recipes. Kudos and tanks a million for helping us across 9ja wit recipes.
I finally made my couscous. It was yummilicious! I used bacon instead of mushroom and used the oil from the bacon for my veges!
Impressive, i have been hearing about this cous cous thingy, from senegal but never thought it could be used like this.
will so try it out this weekend. At least something to replace this rice,bean,garri and soup monopoly in Nigeria.
indeed Brian.
This turned out really well. Very easy to make. Thanks :)
pls what class of food is this couscous as i am watching my weight and avoiding carbs?
I copied this from http://www.cookthink.com Hope it gives you more insight about couscous.
Basically, it is the best alternative for rice.
Couscous is a coarsely ground pasta made from semolina, a type of wheat.
A staple of the North African Maghreb, couscous comes in instant and non-instant varieties.
Like macaroni and spaghetti, couscous is made from semolina flour, but rather than mixing the semolina with a prescribed amount of water and/or egg into a dough, couscous is made by rubbing the semolina between moistened hands until the flour combines with just enough water to form hundreds of tiny grains. Obviously the process takes a light touch, lest the grains combine into a gooey mass, but once learned it is one of the simplest forms of making pasta and one that is practiced in villages all around the Mediterranean basin.
After the couscous grains are formed they are dried and steamed over a stew, usually made from lamb, in a special pot called a couscoussière. Steaming couscous is an involved operation, requiring sealing the top of the couscoussière to its bottom with rags dipped in flour paste, and then interrupting the steaming several times to rub the softening couscous grains to insure that they remain separate.
Fortunately it is no longer necessary to go through all that labor, due to the broad availability of instant couscous. This product has already been steamed and then dried again before it is packaged. It needs only to be soaked in boiling water until it swells, a process that takes about 10 minutes.
Couscous doesn’t have a lot of flavor on its own, but it works well as a base for vegetable or meat dishes. It also mixes beautifully into salads and can be flavored with herbs like coriander, basil or mint, or even studded with fruit like raisins or apricots. It’s a very neutral — and nutritious — base for all sorts of dishes.
Learnt something new. Thank you.
Nice. This looks so good!
Do try the recipe dear
Nigerians and Maggi! Una no get any other kinds of flavour addititives wey no get MSG?
Use of flavor additives like maggi isn’t unique to Nigerian cooking. Americans and Asians use Bouillon cubes and stock which is exactly the same.
I have never been a fan of couscous but this, I gotta try. Looks yummy!
Hoping the recipe makes you a fan
This dish looks delicious. However I can’t help recalling that couscous is a popular dish in parts of Northern Nigeria…I initially thought this was a recipe based on the kind of couscous consumed in those parts but it looks like something you came up with on your own, right?
It would be excellent to see a recipe for couscous based on the kind my mother used to make (which are based on the kind she ate while growing up in Maiduguri).
Hi dear. are you talking about Acha? we have a recipe for it here: https://www.9jafoodie.com/2013/01/pate-acha-by-lavido/
This look so good am eating with my eyes.
hope you are well and life is treating you kind.
stay blessed.
peace.
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Hiya! i am making this today and am sooo excited! not using chicken stock but going to use that from goat liver, and hope to dice the liver meat and add it to the vegetable stuffings… Question though is, you did not mention how long it the couscous should be in the boiling stock for….hopefully i dont make it too soft! x
Addition of liver sounds delicious. You do not boil the couscous. add it to the boiling liquid and remove from heat;Leave it covered for 5-6mins.
Please what is Couscous?
It’s further processed semolina
Thanks but pls what is couscous
Ok I just made CousCous for dinner but I think I used too oil in the frying…..hoping it turns out better next time
Hello Ngy! better luck next time.. let me know how it turns out next time you try it.
Pls what is couscous?….Is there another name for it?
Wow! looks lovely! Gotta try this! Happy to find the ‘oyinbo’ way to eat couscous!
Let us know how it goes.
Couscous is my go to side, so simple and versatile. Great recipe!
I agree!
Definitely trying this out ASAP. Looks delicious
let us know how it turns out
Yaaaaaaaa….. I’m gonna try this recipe…. It tasted so good on the weekend.
let us know how it turns out
Hello. I tried the recipe. I’ve been trying to get couscous right for years now but something always ends up wrong with it. I tried yours today and I got the vest result so far. The only issue is the couscous is hard. As Nigerians will say, it did not done. What can I do to avoid this next time?