Spicy Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Herbs, and Harissa

Couscous is practically synonymous with Moroccan food. If you Google “couscous recipes”, you get all kinds of “Moroccan” couscous dishes: couscous salad. Couscous mixed with vegetables. Couscous stuffed in vegetables. Couscous soup. And yet, I’ve never seen couscous in Morocco prepared in any way other than a big ol’ pile with stewed vegetables or meat on top. 

Of course, Morocco isn’t the only country where couscous is a traditional food, but lots of the couscous recipes you see online are nowhere near traditional anywhere. And you know what? I’m here for it. I love experimenting with ingredients and flavors, and since I live in Morocco, I do a lot of experimenting with Moroccan ingredients.

This recipe for couscous salad with chickpeas, herbs, and harissa  is one I like to make for lunches during the week. It can also be a side dish! It’s not only vegetarian, but vegan, and is super adaptable. You can make it even healthier by adding more vegetables (see suggestions below).

This salad is also really easy, since you’re mostly just mixing ingredients together. You can have a quick weeknight meal ready in under 30 minutes.

Notes on the ingredients:

• Couscous: There are different sizes of couscous. Usually, what you’ll see in a store will be either fine or Israeli “couscous” which is really just pasta balls. You want the fine couscous. You can toast the couscous before you mix it with the hot vegetable stock for more flavor, but if you’re short on time you can skip this step.

• Chickpeas: I usually cook chickpeas from dry, but canned is no problem. Just put the whole can in there–but drain it first!

• Vegetables: I use onion and tomatoes here, but you could easily add more vegetables! Diced cucumbers and bell peppers would work perfectly. You could also try some diced zucchini or shredded carrot. This is a really flexible recipe!

• Onion: Red onion is great here, but really any onion you have is okay.

• Herbs: Mint and cilantro are great together in this recipe, but you can play with this a bit. I’ve made it with only cilantro and it’s great. You could also make it with only mint, or a three-way mix of mint, cilantro, and parsley, but I wouldn’t use only parsley as it’ll be too bland. You could try some basil, too!

• Pomegranate molasses: This is an ingredient you find in Middle Eastern cooking and it’s basically a pomegranate juice reduction. If you can’t find it, you can try making your own from pomegranate juice or substituting with honey (if you’re not vegan). It adds a sweetness to the dressing that balances the spiciness of the harissa. I recommend you try adding this ingredient to your cupboard if you’re not already familiar with it–it’s a really nice sweet but tart flavor and is also an ingredient in one of my favorite foods, muhammara.

• Lemon juice: You can also use vinegar here as long as it’s more fruity than harsh. I actually use pomegranate vinegar a lot instead of lemon juice, but I know that’s not necessarily a common ingredient.

Ready to mix.

Recipe:

Yield: 2 main, 4 side

Author: Louise

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Spicy Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Herbs, and Harissa

This couscous salad is loaded with fresh herbs and is finished with a spicy harissa dressing.

Prep time: 15 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients

Couscous Mix

• 1 cup fine couscous, dry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup hot vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 14/15 oz can, drained)
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon harissa
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the dry couscous and stir. Stir every minute or so until toasted, about 7-10 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and add the hot vegetable stock to the couscous. Stir and cover with a lid for about 10 minutes.
3. Use a fork to fluff up your couscous, then set aside.
4. While you're making the couscous, you can prepare your other ingredients by chopping your vegetables and herbs and draining the chickpeas.
5. Make the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together. Depending on how salty your harissa is, you may want to add an additional pinch of salt.
6. Combine all ingredients and keep in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to eat.

Recommendations:

• Serve as a quick and easy lunch or dinner

• Serve as a side to main meal

• Take to a potluck or event

• Have with some Moroccan mint tea

• Store in the fridge in an airtight container for no more than 3 days

Recipes for vegetarian mains: