Couscous Traditionnel aux Trois Viandes Recipe
Couscous Traditionnel aux Trois Viandes is a hearty and flavorful North African dish featuring a blend of tender chicken, lamb, and spicy merguez sausages served over steamed semolina couscous with a rich vegetable and tomato sauce infused with aromatic spices like saffron, quatre-épices, and cayenne pepper. This traditional recipe is slow-simmered to develop deep flavors and served hot with harissa for an authentic experience.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 people 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: North African
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 1 onion
- 250 g carrots
- 250 g turnips
- 250 g zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- ½ stalk celery
- 1 chili pepper (whole)
Legumes and Tomatoes
- 1 can tomato paste (concentrated tomatoes)
- 1 can peeled tomatoes
- 1 can chickpeas
Spices and Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons saffron
- Vegetable oil (for cooking)
- Harissa (to taste, for serving)
- Couscous spice mix
- Quatre-épices (a spice blend)
- Cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
Meats
- 4 chicken thighs
- 4 pieces lamb (chunks)
- 4 merguez sausages
- Beef meatballs (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Peel the carrots, turnips, celery stalk, and zucchini. Cut all the vegetables into chunks. Wash and slice the red and green bell peppers into strips.
- Cook the meats and sauce: In a large casserole pot, heat a splash of vegetable oil over low heat. Brown the chicken thighs and lamb pieces on all sides gently to develop color and flavor.
- Add onions: Add the thinly sliced onion and let it soften until it begins to caramelize lightly, enhancing the dish’s sweetness.
- Add vegetables and liquids: Next, add in the prepared vegetables, tomato paste, peeled tomatoes, chickpeas, spices including saffron, quatre-épices, cayenne pepper, whole chili pepper, ground black pepper, and a bit of water until it reaches halfway up the pot’s contents.
- Simmer: Allow the mixture to simmer gently over low heat for 50 minutes, letting the flavors meld and the meats become tender.
- Cook merguez sausages: Meanwhile, cook the merguez sausages separately in a skillet until browned and cooked through. Set aside.
- Prepare couscous: Depending on the type of couscous chosen, prepare accordingly. For quick couscous, follow package instructions. For traditional couscous, use a couscoussier steamer: mix the semolina with 2 tablespoons oil, fluff with fingers, and steam. Repeat this steaming and fluffing process twice for ideal texture.
- Plate the dish: On a large serving platter, spread the couscous and moisten generously with hot broth from the stew. Arrange the cooked vegetables, chicken, lamb, and merguez sausages on top. Serve immediately with harissa diluted as preferred to add spicy heat.
Notes
- Be careful not to cook the meats on high heat to avoid toughness; slow simmering yields tender results.
- The use of a couscoussier steamer is traditional and yields the best texture for semolina couscous.
- Harissa can be adjusted in quantity to suit your preferred spice level.
- Beef meatballs are optional and can be added during the meat browning step if desired.
- Vegetable broth can be used instead of water to enhance the flavor further.
Keywords: Couscous, North African dish, chicken, lamb, merguez, traditional couscous, slow-cooked stew, vegetables, semolina
