Couscous with Vegetables with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

   StoveFrying pan
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 4
   Add the carrot, red pepper and zucchini and fry 8 minutes, stirring.

   Stove
2. 5
   Add the cumin, turmeric, paprika and black pepper, stir and cook another 2 minutes.
3. 6
   Put the couscous in a bowl with the oil and salt.

   Bowl
4. 7
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
5. 8
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
6. 9
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
7. 10
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
8. 11
   Bring the liquid to a boil and pour it over the couscous.

   StoveSmall saucepan
9. 12
   Cover 5 minutes and fluff the grains with a fork.

   💡Fluff with a fork, not a spoon: a fork separates the grains, and a spoon mashes them into clumps.
10. 13
    Add the couscous to the vegetable stew and stir.
11. 14
    Sprinkle the parsley on top.