Famous Traditional Morocain Cous Cous with 7 Vegetable

1kg Beef or Mutton (large Chuck pieces)
250g Carrots (peel and cut into half and remove the core, leaving them long)
4 Courgettes (cut into half and remove the seeds, leaving them long)
1 Small Cabbage head (cut into quarters)
4 Small Turnips (peeled and cut into half)
1 Small Pumpkin (leave the skin and into quarters)
3 Medium Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cut into half)
4 Large Onions (diced)
Bunch of coriander ( leave whole and tie with string)
500g Broad beans
6 Tomatoes (peeled and diced)
2 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Saffron or Halid
Salt to taste
1kg Cous Cous (medium)
15tbsp Olive oil
10tbsp Sunflower Oil
                                                                        2 Lamb or beef Stock cubes


Method:

In a large bowl, pour the cous cous,add 2tsp of salt , 5tbsp Olive Oil and 1/2 mug of cold water and mix with your hands.  Ensure that the grains are separate, not forming into small little balls and leave to stand.

In a 2 or 3 tier steamer, put in the sunflower oil and diced onion.   Fry the onions until then turn soft, then add the diced tomatoes. Now leave them to cook for a few minutes until the onions and tomatoes become settled. 

Add the meat along with the spices and mix until the meat is coated by the spices and onions and tomatoes.  Now add the bunch of coriander along with the cabbage and turnips, as these take longer to cook then the other vegetables.  Add enough water to cover the vegetables and meat cover and leave to cook for approx 20minutes.

On the 2nd tier add the grain Cous Cous and place it on top on the bottom pan, what this will do it will start cooking the cous cous via steam of everything that's under it. Do not remove until you see the steam coming out of the top tier from where the cous cous is.

Remove the 2nd teir and pour the steamed cous cous back into the large bowl.  In the meantime add the board beans, carrots, sweet potatoes and once again add enough water to cover everything. cover and leave to cook for around 40 minutes.

The cous cous that you have placed back in the bowl should have cooled down, using the back of  a large cooking spoon separate the grains of the cous cous.  Once separates use 1/4 mug of cold water and sprinkle over the cous cous and again with the back of the spook separate and leave to stand for about 15-20 minutes, until the grain is dry.

Check the meat to see how far it has got if its half way then you can add the separat cous cous back into the 2nd tier of the steamer and once again leave until all the steam is visible through the second tier.  Remove the 2nd tier and pour the steamed cous cous back into the large bowl.

Now at this stage the meat and vegetable should almost be cooked, if so add the courgettes and pumkin as well as some water if needed.

The cous cous that you have placed back in the bowl should have cooled down, using the back of a large cooking spoon separate the grains of the cous cous. Once separate use 1/4 mug of cold water and sprinkle over the cous cous and again with the back of the spook separate and leave to stand for about 15-20 minutes, until the grain is dry.

Add the cous cous once again for the final time to the 2nd tier of the steamer and leave to cook until the steam is visible through the cous cous. 

Now everything should be cooked, in order to serve you can either do individual plates but the traditional way is a large plate.

pour the cous cous in the the plate and mount like a volcano and in the hole place the meat and start to pile your vegetables just like in the photo.  Cabbage goes onto the meat then pumpkin and carrots.
Along the sides alternate carrot and courgette.

Pour the sauce with the board beans all over till its covered cous cous.  As cous cous absorbs the sauce, what I always have is small bowls with extra sauce as your eating the cous cous keeps getting dry. 

As we say in Arabic "besaha"