Couscous is very hostel-proof since you only need to drench it with boiling water. This easy backpacker recipe is a perfect dish for a large group of people, so if you’re going to host a dinner party just multiply the ingredients below and invite other travellers to have dinner together, like a real Moroccan family.
Ingredients (serves 2)
3 tbs of olive oil
ts of cumin/cinnamon/corinader*
3 cm of fresh ginger, grated
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-4 chicken legs or wings (or both)
1 sweet potatoe, diced
1 can of diced tomatoes (400 ml)
200 gr chickpeas (small can), drained
a few dried apricots (or prunes of other dried fruit)
handful of cilantro leaves
handful of roasted almonds, roughly chopped (optional)
20 gr of butter (optional)
Pepper and salt
*Have a look in the cupboard of the hostel for some additional spices that other travellers have left behind. Spices that would do great in this stew are: cumin, coriander, chilli, sweet paprika, kurkuma, cinnamon, clove.
How to?
1. Heat 2 spoons of the oil in a pan (preferably one with a thick bottom) and add the garlic, onions and ginger. Fry until soft and fragrant.
2. Add the chicken and fry until the chicken is golden on the outside, but still pink on the inside.
3. Add the diced tomatoes and let simmer for 20 min. In the meanwhile, boil the water for the couscous.
4. In a bowl, drench the couscous with boiling water and add some salt, pepper, olive oil and butter. Let stand for 10 min. At this time, you add the chickpeas, the sweet potato and the apricots to the stew. Let simmer for at least another 10 min. The stew is ready when the chicken is done (and the meat falls off the bone) and the potato is soft.
5. Separate the couscous with a fork. Serve with the stew and top with the roasted almonds and cilantro leaves.
