Maftool (Couscous)

Ingredients

• •Couscous Beads:
• •3 tablespoons coarse cracked wheat (use only coarse)
• •4 cups whole wheat flour
• •2 cups water
• •1 teaspoon salt
• •4 teaspoons vegetable oil
• •a large tray twice as big as the circle formed with arms in front of you
• •Couscous Stew:
• •1/2 cup clarified butter or margarine
• •6 chicken legs or whole chicken cut up in serving portions
• •7 onions, sliced
• •19 ounce can chick peas
• •water
• •2 teaspoons salt
• •1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• •1/2 teaspoon allspice
• •1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• •1/2 teaspoon ground caraway
• •2 tablespoons lemon juice
• •Cooking the Beads:
• •5 cups sauce from the couscous stew
• •2 cups couscous beads
• •3 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. 1Making the Couscous Beads:
2. 2In a small bowl, soak cracked wheat in a bit of water for 15 minutes. Sift flour until about 1/2 cupis left in the sifter--discard the brownish bran. Place 2 cups water in a bowl; add salt and vegetable oil. Place the tray, the bowl of water mixture and the flour on a table.
3. 3Squeeze excess water from the cracked wheat and spread the bits over the surface of the tray. Sprinkle with 4 teaspoons flour and mix carefully to prevent the bits from sticking to one another. With both hands pressed firmly over the bits start rotating your hands in one direction. The idea is to coat the cracked wheat with the flour. When this is done, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the water and oil mixture. Rotate your hands again. Give them a sprinkling of flour and rotate. Repeat until the beads are the size of chickpeas. This job needs patience and persistence. This part yields about 2 cups of couscous beads.
4. 4Spoon clarified butter into a large pot. Fry chicken until browned. Remove to a bowl. Fry onion slices until light golden brown. Drain chickpeas and add to onions. Cook for a minute or two. Add chicken, cover completely with water, add salt and spices to taste and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered, until chicken is tender (about 30 minutes). Add lemon juice.
5. 5Serve over cooked rice, cooked cracked wheat or couscous beads.
6. 6Ladle the sauce from the couscous stew into a pot. Bring to a boil. Place a colander over the pot. Spoon couscous beads into the colander. Steam for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. 7Dab with butter and stir. Pour beads into the pot and cook over very low heat for another 20 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add more sauce.
8. 8Spoon into serving bowls. Top with a piece of chicken and more sauce. It will have the consistency of a thin stew.