Maftoul With Chicken - Middle Eastern (israeli Cous Cous)

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 5 cups chickpeas (tinned)
• 5 cups maftoul couscous
• 8 pieces chicken, of your choice (or a whole chicken portioned)
• 4 onions, sliced into semi circles
• 1 cup chopped tomato (fresh or tinned)
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon sumac
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 2 pints water

Recipe

• 1 fry the spices and onion in a little olive oil. add the chicken and seal well.
• 2 bring 1/2 liter of water to the boil. place maftoul in large bowl and pour over enough to cover the maftoul. after 10 seconds, drain off water and mix in 1/2 tsp salt before placing maftoul in the steamer.
• 3 pour tomatoes over chicken and add salt & pepper to taste. cover with water (water should come about 2" over the ingredients). at this point you can add a chicken stock cube if you wish. cover and cook for 45 mins on medium heat.
• 4 if you have a large couscousier or double steamer you can cook the sauce in the bottom and maftoul in the top which is preferable as the maftoul absorbs the flavours --.
• 5 remove the chicken from the sauce and place on a baking sheet in the oven (180 degrees c) for 10 minutes to brown off and dry out.
• 6 whilst chicken is in the oven, add the chickpeas to the sauce and cook gently for 10 minutes.
• 7 check seasoning. take 8 bowls, divide the maftoul between them. pour over some sauce then top with the chicken pieces.