Advertisement

Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas

By Martha Rose Shulman

Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes, 2¼ hours' simmer
Rating
4(151)
Comments
Read comments

Okra is popular in the North African cuisines of Tunisia and Algeria, where it is also dried. Because you don’t cut it up, the okra doesn’t become slimy. It contributes great flavor to the stew. Very high in dietary fiber, okra is a great source of vitamins A, C, B complex and the phytonutrients glutathione, xanthin, lutein and beta carotene, all believed to have antioxidant properties. For the best texture and flavor, look for the smallest pods you can find

Featured in: Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 1pound okra
  • Salt to taste
  • ½cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1large onion, chopped
  • 2 to 4large garlic cloves (to taste), minced
  • Salt, preferably kosher, to taste
  • 1½teaspoons paprika
  • ½teaspoon cayenne (more to taste)
  • 1pound tomatoes, grated, or peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 2cups chickpeas, soaked for 6 hours or overnight and drained
  • A bouquet garni consisting of 8 sprigs each parsley
  • A bouquet garni consisting of 8 sprigs cilantro
  • 1large sweet red pepper, seeded and cut in large dice
  • 2tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1tablespoon harissa (more to taste), plus additional for serving (optional)
  • ½cup chopped fresh parsley, or a mixture of parsley and cilantro or mint
  • 2 to 2⅔cups couscous (⅓ cup per serving)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

463 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 660 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it is tender, about 5 minutes, and stir in the garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and the spices. Stir together for about 1 minute and add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas, 2 quarts water and the bouquet garni. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1½ hours.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, trim the stems off the okra and place in a large bowl. Salt generously, douse with the vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the okra and rinse thoroughly. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    After 1½ hours, season the chickpeas with salt to taste and add the harissa, tomato paste, red pepper and okra. Bring back to a simmer and simmer 30 to 45 minutes, or until okra and beans are tender. Remove a cup of broth to use for flavoring the couscous. Stir in the chopped fresh herbs and simmer another few minutes. Taste and adjust salt. The stew should be spicy and flavorful.

  4. Step 4

    Reconstitute and steam the couscous (see recipe). Serve the couscous in wide bowls or mound onto plates and top with the stew. Pass more harissa at the table.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: You can make this entire dish ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days, but add the fresh herbs when you reheat before serving.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
151 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Inge

This dish is amazing! I only had 1/4lb of okra left in the garden but tons of chinese eggplant so added the latter up to 1lb. In the future I may use only eggplant, only okra, or a combination.

P. Howard

Delicious! I used one 15.5 ounce can of garbanzo beans (drained) and a 10 ounce bag of frozen okra (Whole Foods) adding 1T of cider vinegar after adding the okra per a previous reviewer's suggestion. I did not add the water and instead added home-canned tomato juice to taste and desired consistency. Finally, I used a combination of Aleppo and ground chili pepper as that is our taste preference. Although the dish did not required extended cooking, I let it simmer for maybe 30" minute.

wendyh

I made this with canned garbanzos and tomatoes, but did soak fresh okra in vinegar. I also cut back on the heat- but did add paprika, Aleppo pepper and a bit of cayenne. The vinegar soak did cut down on the slime factor- although it did not entirely remove it. Fresh herbs are important, to my taste. Using canned stuff it cooks much faster- good for a week night. This is a lovely dish, when you are tired of chick pea, coconut milk recipes.

LindaL

Very good. I had canned chickpeas instead of dried.

Hannah

2 cans of diced tomatoes with liquids

susan

I really love all the components of this dish, but did not love the outcome. Should have used chicken broth as I expected-maybe double the spices? Will likely not make again.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.