{"id":15880,"date":"2021-05-21T13:12:14","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T11:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bistrobadia.de\/moghrabieh-libanesischer-perl-couscous-eintopf\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T07:34:16","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T06:34:16","slug":"moghrabieh-lebanese-pearl-couscous-stew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bistrobadia.de\/en\/moghrabieh-lebanese-pearl-couscous-stew\/","title":{"rendered":"Moghrabieh: Lebanese pearl couscous stew"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For a long time I’ve been avoiding making this fantastic pearl couscous stew myself. My mother is the master of Moghrabieh (that’s the name of this stew) and it always looked a bit complicated. But I don’t want to deprive you of this fantastic recipe, so I gave it a try. Honestly, it’s so easy and quick to make that I slapped myself in the face afterwards for never having tried Moghrabieh myself before. But now\u2026.!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearl couscous = Moghrabieh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with other Arabic or Levantine dishes, the dish is often simply named after the main ingredient. Hummus<\/a>, for example, means chickpea in Arabic. And moghrabieh refers to this large, spherical couscous. So if you order moghrabieh in the Levant, you get this delicious stew… Or uh… Well, not everywhere. In other countries of the Levant, this couscous is called maftoul, Israeli couscous or Turkish couscous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Couscous: Probably the smallest pasta in the world<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I see a tabouleh recipe<\/a> with couscous, the hairs on the back of my neck stand right up and I have to intervene. “How? Why? Isn’t that the same thing?” Nope, bulgur and couscous are fundamentally different. Bulgur is (often pre-cooked) shredded wheat. Couscous, however, is made from semolina and water into little balls. And you probably know the usual minifine couscous – yes, even that is rolled until everything is finally couscous. Then everything is dried. It’s hardly any different with pasta. (Except that here it goes into completely different shape dimensions) That’s why I always call couscous probably the smallest pasta in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comfort Food from the Levant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For me, moghrabieh is a typical Sunday meal. When I visit, my mother usually cooks the chicken broth in the morning or even the evening before and then whips up the pearl couscous stew for lunch. It’s the homemade broth that has always put me off cooking this classic. But to be honest, it really makes itself. And it’s easy to prepare. You can use a store-bought one, but then you don’t get the real Moghrabieh taste. The main spices here are cinnamon and cumin. But that’s not all: cardamom, coriander seeds, cumin, nutmeg, cloves and allspice are also added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And to make it really “pearly”, add tender chickpeas and pearl onions to the pearl couscous. If you can’t find pearl onions (like me), you can also use shallots. Onions and chickpeas are cooked directly with the couscous. The onions develop a really great sweetness. Finally, add the chicken from the broth, either in whole pieces or finely shredded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moghrabieh also goes vegetable!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Moghrabieh is classically cooked with chicken, but you can of course also prepare a vegetarian or vegan version. Simply cook a vegetable broth with the spices mentioned below and replace the chicken either with more onions and chickpeas or use a meat substitute of your choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Recipe for Moghrabieh: Lebanese Pearl Couscous Stew<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n
\"Moghrabieh:<\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n
\n