Skip to main content

Sweet Couscous

This couscous dish, originally made especially by Moroccans at the Maimouna, a post-Passover celebration, has become pan–North African in France now that Tunisians and Algerians are preparing it. They also make this dish, using butter and accompanying it with yogurt, at Shavuot, a late-spring holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the abundance of milk in the springtime. Sweet couscous can be made with either couscous or rice, although I prefer the texture of the couscous with the raisins and nuts.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds onions, peeled and thinly sliced in rings
4 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of saffron
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup sliced or roughly chopped blanched almonds
1 pound (about 2 cups) couscous
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a frying pan, sauté the onions in the oil or butter over medium heat until translucent. Add the sugar and saffron, and continue to cook until caramelized and jamlike. Add the raisins and almonds, cooking until the almonds are golden.

    Step 2

    Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions, seasoning it with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mound the couscous in the middle of a plate, and surround with the onions, raisins, and almonds.

Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous
Read More
Like Greek lemon potatoes and gochujang chicken stir-fry.
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Thinly sliced and cooked hot and fast, pork tenderloin is the juicy, cook-quicking weeknight champion of this vegetable-heavy stir-fry.
Like fattoush salad and strawberry shortcake roll.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Chicken breasts reach their full potential in this spicy, saucy stir-fry with blistered green beans.