IN the heart of Morocco, couscous is a whole world of wonderful dishes: Sublime stews spooned over the ethereal granules. They can be as luscious as pappardelle with rabbit ragu or as harmonic as a great pesto. But they also have exotic allure. It might be long-simmered lamb and pumpkin with ginger and saffron or loup de mer with quince or perhaps veal and chicken with zucchini and almonds. Chickpeas frequently make an appearance, as do raisins, almonds, dates, cinnamon and coriander. ‘‘You can push the parameters of couscous the same way you can push pasta,’’ says Paula Wolfert, author of Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco. ‘‘The difference is the couscous grain. Pasta can’t compare with it in delicacy.’’ A man keenly sensitive to the possibilities of couscous is Moshe Shek, who runs his signature Mediterranean restaurant in New Delhi and Mumbai. Their’s is a pan-fried version with olive oil, made with a packaged Turkish import. Foodies the world over may grumble about the packaged version (started in the 19th century by a colonial Algerian company, marketing it as couscous rapide), as opposed to the authentic steamed one, but Shek has no complaints. ‘‘It’s as fluffy and delicate. One can even moisten it with some vegetable broth. It can also be adapted in dishes other than the stereotypical stews,’’ he says. Moshe’s Turlu Turlu (couscous topped with grilled vegetables) is a hot seller. That’s if you’re not having their Lamb Tagine served with couscous as an accompaniment. Moshe’s also serves a couscous salad with olive oil, mint and chargrilled chickpeas. Souk, the Turkish restaurant at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, serves their couscous the traditional way. ‘‘We make a stew with vegetables and meat and spoon it on top of the couscous, flavoured with pimentos, olives and olive oil,’’ says executive chef Hemant Oberoi. Pot-PourRi North Africa Centrepiece of the traditional Friday family lunch. It’s always the last thing served at a party, as the course that ensures every guest’s appetite is completely satisfied Morocco The local word for couscous is ta’am, meaning food. Developed in royal kitchens, it is made aromatic with multiple spices, particularly in Marrakesh, and served with rich stews Algeria Here couscous, stewed meat and broth are served in separate bowls Tunisia Being Arabia’s richest fishing ground, it makes many fish couscous specialities Like Shek, Oberoi has done away with the long drawn-out steaming process. ‘‘It isn’t viable for us to spend the whole day cooking it. It also requires a special couscoussier (a perforated pot, set over the stew it is to be served with) and trained couscous cooks,’’ says Shek. As long as it tastes good, Indians don’t seem to be complaining. At Pune’s Polka Dot, ‘‘couscous is a preferred dish because it’s light and low-cal,’’ says owner Ravish Arora. Chef Ajay Gomes of Flags, another Pune restaurant, believes the dish is still to gain momentum: ‘‘Most often guests order it on our recommendation. But once on the table, they can even disregard it as upma.’’ OZ, the popular Moroccan restaurant in Gurgaon, on the outskirts of New Delhi, has faced some interesting reactions to the ‘Moroccan rice’. ‘‘Couscous is popular only with those who have developed a taste for it. We’ve had guests who ask for couscous as an accompaniment even for items that don’t come with it. And there are others who ask for it to be replaced by rice, even with a tagine,’’ says owner Daman Sodhi. The obvious result of offering this peculiar dish to Indian palates is various alterations. Under The Over in south Mumbai makes an interesting warm salad with bell peppers, English veggies and almonds tossed in butter. Seafood lovers must try the squid option. Anything from broccoli to babycorn is thrown into a couscous dish. Sodhi will tell you how some of his guests have even asked for mashed potatoes to go with their couscous. However, everybody seems to agree on some basic additions—tomatoes, turnips, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, peppers, cabbage, eggplant and fava beans. Couscous is most often simply flavoured with olive oil, while saffron is among the more glamorous spices used. Though it might be too soon for us to get into the specifics of couscous (like whether it originated in Fez or Rabat), rest assured, it’s definitely not upma. LAT-WP With inputs from Debanjana Chaudhuri/ Mumbai and Priyamvada Kowshik/ New Delhi
