Couscous bidaoui (Casablanca-style couscous)
Tender lamb and a generous mix of vegetables simmered in a fragrant broth, piled over mounds of steamed couscous. Known in Morocco as couscous bidaoui, the Casablanca style, this is the dish of the Friday family meal, served on a large communal platter.
Ingredients
Instructions
Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and keep the heart. Blanch it in boiling water with the lemon juice for 5 to 6 minutes, drain, and cut it into pieces.
Put the meat in a large pot with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the soaked chickpeas and cook for 40 minutes, skimming any foam.
Stud 2 of the onions with 2 cloves each and cut the remaining onions into wedges. Add all the onions to the pot with the cabbage and the saffron. Season with salt and pepper, add the tomatoes, turnips, carrots, and peppers, and simmer over medium heat for about 1 hour.
Add the pumpkin and potatoes for the last 25 minutes. Pour in the olive oil, stir, and check that the meat and all the vegetables are tender. Keep everything warm.
While the broth simmers, put the couscous in a large bowl. Sprinkle it with the cold salted water and the 2 tablespoons of oil, rubbing the grains gently with your fingers so they separate. Place it in the top of a couscoussier over the simmering broth, or in a lined steamer basket, and steam for 30 minutes. The grains should not touch the liquid.
Tip the couscous onto a long platter and break up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth, dot with the butter, and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Steam it again for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
To serve, mound the couscous on a large round platter in a cone or dome and make a well in the center. Fill the well with the meat and vegetables and a little broth. Strain the remaining broth and serve it in individual bowls.
Notes
If you do not have a couscoussier, set a steamer basket or a colander lined with cheesecloth over a large pot of simmering broth or water, making sure the couscous does not touch the liquid.
Beef takes longer than lamb or veal, so allow extra simmering time if you use it. Soaking the chickpeas overnight helps them cook evenly.
The amounts of olive oil and butter are generous, in the Moroccan home style, and can be reduced if you prefer a lighter dish.
Traditionally the dish is eaten with the hands, but spoons are fine for guests who are not used to it.
Variations
A topping called tfaya, made of caramelized onions cooked slowly with raisins, honey, and warm spices, is a popular addition.
Chicken or beef can replace the lamb, and zucchini, eggplant, or fava beans are common in season. The "seventh vegetable" varies by family.
Source
Bidaoui refers to Casablanca, the Moroccan city known in Arabic as Dar el Beida. Couscous is the traditional centerpiece of the Friday family meal across Morocco, and this version, loaded with meat and vegetables, is the one most associated with that gathering. Couscous is also a shared heritage of North Africa. In 2020 UNESCO added it to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, following a joint nomination by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia.