Smoked Garbanzo Bean Couscous
This Smoked Garbanzo Bean Couscous salad recipe compliments any Moroccan theme meal. It is full of wonderful flavors, particularly from the smoked garbanzo beans, that accentuate the smoky essence to the dish. As Moroccan cuisine has different types of citrus, I chose to cook with a Witbier fromm Allagash Brewing Co. The addition of coriander seed and orange peel, along with the wheat and malted barley all combine with a Belgian yeast strain to create a perfect flavored liquid to cook the couscous. To bring the Moroccan flavors out even more, preserved lemons, dried apricots and orange zest | juice all combine, crafting a bright and tasty side dish | starch. Yet another perfect example to cook with beer, as this recipe benefits from the WitBiers flavors, enhancing all the flavors.
Couscous is made from crushed durum wheat semolina, it has a wonderful texture and a staple in North African cuisines. Traditionally it is cooked over a pot, usually containing a stew, that the steam from this stew is used to cook | steam the couscous, flavoring it and all with one burner or fire. The cooking technique of rubbing the couscous first with oil, helps keep the small individual grains of semolina separate, contributing to a light and fluffy texture.
Using smoked garbanzo beans is my twist, to play up the smoke from a cooking fire, adding this nostalgic and old style of cooking, back to the flavor mix. If you don’t have a smoker, un-smoked garbanzo beans can be used, it just won’t be a Smoked Garbanzo Bean Couscous.
Try this couscous recipe with my Cherrywood Smoked Moroccan Spiced-Rubbed Leg of Lamb and top with Kriek Pomegranate Barbecue Sauce. If you love couscous, you can also try my Toasted Israeli Cous Cous Salad with Spring Vegetables and IPA Dressing recipe.
Serves: 6–8 as a side dish
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Jul 2009 | Issue #31
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 guest | 10 minute |
| Passive Time |
| 20 minute |
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This Smoked Garbanzo Bean Couscous salad recipe compliments the Moroccan theme, full of wonderful flavors, particularly from the smoked garbanzo beans that accentuate the smoky essence of the dish.
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- 10 ounce garbanzo beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 11.2 ounce Wit Bier, such as Allagash White or other Wit Bier
- 2 teaspoon lemons, preserved
- 10 each apricots, dried chopped
- 1/2 each orange, juiced
- 1 1/2 cup cous cous
- 1 teaspoon salt, sea
- 2 tablespoon oil, olive
- 1 each orange zest,
- 2 each bell peppers, red, yellow or orange, roasted, seeded and julienned
- 1/4 bunch cilantro, fresh leaves only
- 1/4 bunch mint, fresh, leaves only
- 2 tablespoon onion, red, peeled and diced fine
- 1/2 each orange, juiced
- 1 tablespoon oil, olive
- Open the can of garbanzo beans and rinse them well. Dry on a paper towel and add to a bowl. Lightly season the beans with a touch of olive oil and salt, tossing to evenly distribute. Place the beans in either a small ovenproof pan, or a make shift tray out of double-lined aluminum foil with a few small holes poked in the bottom. Spread the beans in one layer and place in a smoker, heated to 250°F | 121°C – 300°F | 149°C for one and a half hours. The beans will be slightly dry, but absorb a wonderful smoke flavor. Smoking the beans is optional. Rinsed canned beans can be substituted.
- In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, add the Allagash White or other Wit Bier, preserved lemons, apricots and juice of half an orange (zested first). Bring this beer mixture to a boil.
- In a small bowl, add the couscous, salt, oil and orange zest, mixing together with your fingers to evenly distribute the oil over the individual grains. This will help create a light and fluffy finished texture.
- Once the liquid is boiling, add the couscous and stir well, covering with a lid and removing from the heat. Let the cous cous sit for 20 minutes to cook. Once finished, using a fork, flake the little couscous pearls gently to separate them.
- In large bowl, mix together the bell peppers, cilantro, parsley, mint, red onion, orange juice and olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and add the cooked couscous and garbanzo beans. Toss the ingredients together until evenly distributed with the vegetables. This salad can be served warm or at room temperature. This salad can be made in advance and will keep sealed and refrigerated for 2 days before serving.
Try This Recipe with this Smoked Garbanzo Bean Couscous:
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