Turkish cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Kuskus Pilavı (Anatolian Couscous Pilaf)

Hand-rolled Anatolian couscous with chickpeas and tomato paste steamed in stock, rounded off with butter.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 250 g Anatolian couscous (hand-rolled, or pearl couscous)
• 200 g cooked chickpeas
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp red pepper paste
• 50 g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Put the couscous in a sieve, rinse briefly in cold water and drain; finely dice the onion and drain the chickpeas.
2. Heat half the butter with the olive oil in a wide pot and sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 min. until soft.
3. Add the tomato and pepper paste and roast for 1–2 min. until the fat turns reddish and the spice smells fragrant.
4. Stir in the chickpeas, pour in the hot stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to a vigorous boil once.
5. Sprinkle in the couscous, stir once and let swell covered over the lowest heat for 18–20 min. until the grains are soft and the stock is absorbed.
6. Fold in the remaining butter in flakes, let rest for 10 min. with a kitchen towel under the lid, fluff gently and serve sprinkled with pul biber.