Israeli and Mediterranean cooking
Mesfouf with broad beans, peas and fermented milk
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Light, steamed couscous with tender broad beans and peas, butter and olive oil. Chilled fermented milk brings a tangy contrast to this savoury Algerian mesfouf.
Method
- If preparing both original and lighter portions, set aside the ingredients and quantities specified for the lighter portions; the remainder is for the original portions. Prepare the two versions separately whenever their cooking or seasoning differs. Quantities given for the whole preparation are divided between the separate containers, not repeated in each one. Dissolve 2 g salt in 180 g cold water. Put the couscous in a large dish, coat with 5 g oil, then sprinkle with 90 g of the salted water. Mix with your fingertips and leave to swell for 10 minutes. Keep the remaining 90 g water.
- Bring enough water for the couscoussier to the boil (reference volume: 2 litres), keeping it below the steamer basket. Separate the couscous grains, tip into the basket without packing down and steam for 20 minutes from when steam visibly rises through the grains.
- Tip the couscous into the dish, sprinkle with the remaining 90 g salted water and separate the grains with a fork. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the frozen broad beans and peas in the empty basket, season with the remaining 2 g salt and steam for 10–12 minutes until tender. Set aside in a covered bowl.
- Return the couscous to the basket and steam a second time for 15–20 minutes once the steam resumes. Check the water level in the lower pan. Taste a few grains: if still firm, sprinkle with 30–50 g of the reserved water and cook for 5 minutes longer.
- Tip the hot couscous into the dish. Add the butter and the 10 g oil reserved for finishing, then mix, lifting the grains as you go. Gently fold in the broad beans and peas, cover and wait for 5 minutes to warm them through in the hot couscous.
- Serve the mesfouf warm with well-chilled fermented milk in separate bowls, according to the planned portions. Pour a little milk at a time over the couscous as you eat, to preserve the contrast in temperature and the milk's tang.
Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.
Lighter version
Reference variation for two servings.
The couscous tastes less buttery and rounded. The fermented milk seems tangier, while the broad beans and peas make up a larger part of each mouthful.
- Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) : 15 g
- Extra virgin olive oil : 10 g
- Fine couscous : 160 g
Moisten the couscous for the lighter portions (160 g) with 140 g salted water, in two additions of 70 g. Use 5 g oil at the start and 5 g to finish, with their butter (15 g). These quantities are included in the totals; keep this couscous separate from the original version.
Less butter and couscous, with the same vegetables and fermented milk.
On your plate
Recipe
808 kcal · protein 33 g · carbs 94 g · fat 31 g
Quantities per person
- 100 g Fine couscous
- 110 g Frozen broad beans
- 100 g Frozen peas
- 200 g Plain full-fat fermented milk drink (lben)
- 17.5 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block)
- 7.5 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 g Fine salt
- 1140 g Water
Cooking tips
To serve without reheating, cool the mesfouf quickly, refrigerate until the next day, then take it out 15 minutes before the meal; keep the milk chilled until serving. Using peeled broad beans saves an extra preparation step. The butter and fermented milk make this a dairy dish.
Savoury Algerian mesfouf with broad beans and peas, served with lben; family reference: Samar Guira, Mes Inspirations Culinaires.
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