Turmeric vegetable stew with spiced couscous
Turmeric vegetable stew is really delicious and nutritious! The spiced couscous that is served with it soaks up the sauce from the stew and adds even more flavour to the meal. The two dishes just really complement each other. And to think this was an accidental dish to begin with! I first made this turmeric vegetable stew from ingredients I had left over in the fridge one week but since then I’ve actually been planning this meal into our diet.
What is included in the vegetable stew
The main vegetables include zucchini and mushroom, but you can easily make this using carrots, eggplants or even potatoes. Besides the sweet ripe tomatoes and onions added for flavour, turmeric is the main spice for the veggie stew. Turmeric is a very powerful spice which has great health benefits, supporting digestion and reducing inflammation. The effects are heightened when you add pepper as it allows curcumin (the active ingredient of turmeric) to be absorbed more efficiently in the body.
To prepare the turmeric vegetable stew the method is really easy and quick! Once all the vegetables are lightly coloured, you simply add the blended tomatoes and seasoning mix and then allow the vegetables to cook through and the sauce to reduce.
How to make couscous
Couscous essentially is made from durum wheat formed into small millets in this case, although there are the larger types of couscous also available in store. The spiced couscous recipe made for the turmeric veggie stew is done using the typical method of rehydration. To prepare the couscous you place it in a heatproof bowl with the desired flavourings and then you simply add hot water, let the bowl stand covered for a short time and you use a fork to fluff it up before you can eat it.
The amount of water you add to make you the couscous is of the same volume i.e. for one cup couscous you add one cup of hot water, for two cups couscous you add two cups of water etc. As far as the flavourings go in this case I used garam masala which I slightly toasted in order for the aromas to be activated. Garam masala is a blend of Indian spices, the one I used was from Garden Fresh spices and this blend includes ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg pimento, cloves, cardamom, pepper and fennel.
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- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced in half then chopped along the width in 1cm pieces
- 300 g mushroom cups, quartered
- 1 small brown onion
- 3 small ripe tomatoes or 1 cup tomato passata
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup 200g cous cous
- 1 cup boiling water, 250mL
- 10 fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 10 fresh coriander sprigs, chopped
- ¼ cup currants or raisins
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
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Heat a large frying pan to a medium to high heat. Add the olive oil and then lightly fry the mushrooms, zucchini and onions for 5min or until they start getting some colour. At that time blend the tomatoes with the pepper and salt. Add turmeric in the veggies and stir for a minute until it becomes aromatic. Then pour the blended tomatoes and water. Allow the vegetables to simmer until the sauce reduces for about 15min.
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While the vegetables are cooking prepare the couscous salad. On a medium heat, use a frying pan to dry toast the slivered almonds. Should take about 3min just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn by lightly tossing them around. Then once they start getting some colour add the garam masala to toast also for 1min or until it becomes aromatic.
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Add the couscous, salt, toasted almonds and garam masala in a heat proof bowl with the hot water and then place a large enough plate on top to cover the bowl. Allow the water to be absorbed for 5min after which time use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Lastly add the chopped mint, coriander, currants and olive oil. Stir all the ingredients together and serve it with the cooked vegetables.
