Couscous tfaya
This chicken couscous recipe originates in the Moroccan city of Fes (or Fez). Full of warming spices and fragrant saffron, it's finished with a tfaya sauce, which is flavoured with caramelised onions, honey and raisins. This recipe is taken from Casablanca: My Moroccan Food by Nargisse Benkabbou (Mitchell Beazley, £20). Image by Matt Russell.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 large onions , sliced
- 4 garlic cloves , crushed
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch of saffron threads
- 6 chicken legs , large
- 400ml of chicken stock
- 1 tin of chickpeas , 400g, rinsed and drained
- 50g of flaked almonds , toasted, to garnish (optional)
- 360g of couscous , cooked according to packet instructions then seasoned with a little salt and olive oil
Tfaya sauce
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 4 large onions , sliced
- 300g of raisins
- 3 tbsp of clear honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt , or more to taste
- 100ml of chicken stock
Method
1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a
medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, turmeric,
ginger, salt, pepper and saffron and cook for
3 minutes, stirring occasionally
2
Add the chicken legs to the pan and cook for
5 minutes, turning occasionally. Pour in the stock
and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cover the
pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and leave
to simmer gently for 45 minutes. Stir in the
chickpeas, re-cover the pan and continue
simmering for a further 15 minutes or until the
chicken is cooked through
3
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the tfaya sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a separate large saucepan over
a medium-low heat. Add the onions, cover the pan
and leave to cook for about 20 minutes until they
are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, soak the raisins in hot water for
10 minutes until softened, then drain and set aside
4
When the onions are soft, add the softened raisins,
honey, cinnamon and salt and cook, uncovered, for
about 10 minutes until the onions are lightly golden,
stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and bring to
the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to
medium-low and simmer for about 25 minutes
until most of the liquid has evaporated and you
have a thick golden brown sauce. Taste and adjust
the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary
5
By the time your tfaya sauce is ready, the chicken
should be fully cooked and ready to be served.
Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning, adding
more salt if necessary. To serve, place the warm
cooked couscous on a large serving plate, top with
the chicken, broth and chickpeas and finally add
the tfaya sauce. Garnish with the toasted flaked
almonds if desired
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Couscous tfaya
