Couscous with Sautéed Vegetables

Couscous is an amazing product and a lifesaver for people with busy schedules. Couscous is a type of wheat grain that appeared in the Middle Ages. The homeland of couscous is considered to be North Africa—Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. All of these are countries in the Maghreb region. It seems to carry so much of the aroma of the Arab world. For a long time, couscous was a staple of the Berber diet. Nowadays, you can buy couscous right here. You can find it in any store.

And here’s why I think couscous is a lifesaver for busy people. It’s quite simple, and the secret lies in how the grains we see on the shelves are prepared. The couscous sold in stores is a semi-finished product. In other words, it is an instant steamed and dried grain. You don’t even have to boil anything—just pour boiling water over the grains and in 10 minutes you have a tasty porridge. All you have to do is add meat or vegetables to it, and you have breakfast, lunch, or dinner ready. Today we will focus on a vegetarian version of couscous with stewed vegetables.

• Pour the couscous into a bowl, add salt, oregano, and boiling water. I pour about 12 oz of water for every 7 oz of couscous. I read somewhere that the water-to-couscous ratio should be 1:1. But I like it softer, so I pour a little more water. You can use your fingers as a guide. If you boil the couscous in a pot, pour the water 2 fingers above the level of the couscous, and if you use a wide bowl, about 1 finger. Pour the boiling water over the couscous and cover with a lid. Leave to stand for about 10-20 minutes. If you add more water, as I did, the grains should stand for longer.
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  While the couscous is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Chop all the vegetables into small pieces and sauté them in a pan in the following order: first add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté them. Then add the zucchini and bell pepper. Sauté briefly and add the eggplant and tomatoes. Reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes.
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  Add salt and pepper to taste. Leave to simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour the couscous, which has been prepared in the meantime, into the pan. Mix everything together.
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  When serving, you can garnish with basil or parsley leaves.