Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated August 3, 2015

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes, 2¼ hours' simmer
Rating
4(156)
Comments
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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

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 1 pound okra

  • Salt to taste

  • ½ cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 2 to 4 large garlic cloves (to taste), minced

  • Salt, preferably kosher, to taste

  • 1 ½ teaspoons paprika

  • ½ teaspoon cayenne (more to taste)

  • 1 pound tomatoes, grated, or peeled, seeded and chopped

  • 2 cups 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

  • 1 large sweet red pepper, seeded and cut in large dice

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon harissa (more to taste), plus additional for serving (optional)

  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, or a mixture of parsley and cilantro or mint

  • 2 to 2 ⅔ cups couscous (⅓ cup per serving)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

82 grams carbs; 463 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 659 milligrams sodium; 19 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

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.

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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 1 ½ 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 1 ½ 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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
156 user ratings
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Comments

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.

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.

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.

Tofulover666

A bit annoying that the forward (with linked article) mentions not to cut the okra, but nowhere in the recipe or ingredient list does it mention to keep the okra whole. I don’t always have time to read the forward. Apparently leaving the okra whole cuts down on the sliminess.I added smoked paprika and a pinch of cinnamon for more depth of flavor.

LindaL

Very good. I had canned chickpeas instead of dried.

Hannah

2 cans of diced tomatoes with liquids

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