Authentic Marak Couscous (Couscous Soup)
This soup will add some spice to your life. It has a unique flavor that you usually could only find in the Jerusalem shuk, an authentic restaurant or an Israeli 'safta' house. Jamie Geller's spices will take this soup from a simple vegetable soup with couscous to another level. Making the couscous from scratch is much easier than it sounds and will impress anyone who is lucky enough to taste it.
- Duration
- Cook Time
- Prep Time
- 4Servings
Ingredients
Homemade couscous
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6-10 tablespoons water
Vegetable soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 medium carrots, chopped
- 6 celery sticks, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Jamie Geller Baharat
- 1 tablespoon Jamie Geller Hawaij
- ½ a butternut squash, chopped
- 2 large zucchinis, chopped
- 3 large tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cans of chickpeas (without the liquid)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- Parsley, for topping
Preparation
- In a large bowl, mix the semolina flour, olive oil and salt. Use your fingers to incorporate the ingredients together.
- Gradually add 1 tbsp of water at a time, using your fingers to make sure it is mixed well. The dough should become grainy rather than mushy. You will probably need between 6-10 tbsp but don't add too much at once to keep the grainy consistency.
- To make the couscous right away you bring a pot of water to a boil and place it in a fine mesh strainer or steamer on top of the boiling water (making sure it doesn't touch any of the water) and steam for 7-12 mins until consistency is smooth. Another option is to allow the couscous to steam over the vegetable soup below (which will incorporate its flavor into the couscous).
- In a large pot, add olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Mix well and let it fry several minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, Jamie Geller Baharat and Jamie Geller Hawaij. Mix well and allow to fry another few minutes.
- Add the butternut squash, zucchini, tomatoes and chickpeas. Mix Well.
- Add the vegetable broth and the water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for approx. 30 mins (until the veggies are soft).
- Serve over the couscous and sprinkle parsley on top. So much flavor!
