Mhamsa jariya or berkoukes (hand-rolled giant couscous stew)

Method

1. 1

   If using dried gueddid, soak it in lukewarm water for 10 minutes to soften, then cut it into small pieces; if using fresh meat, simply cut it into medium cubes.

2. 2

   Sauté the meat or gueddid with the chopped onion in the olive oil in a deep pot until well browned, then add the grated tomatoes, tomato paste, Tunisian tabel and cumin.

3. 3

   Cover with hot water, add the soaked chickpeas and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, until the meat is cooked and the chickpeas are tender.

4. 4

   Add the red squash, courgettes and carrots in large pieces and cook for 15 minutes, then scatter the mhamsa grains straight over the hot broth without boiling them separately; cover and let them soak up the broth over very low heat for 15 minutes, without stirring much so they don’t clump.

5. 5

   Stir gently with a fork to separate the grains, adjust the salt and chilli, and serve the mhamsa jariya hot in a deep dish straight from the pot. This rustic dish, also known as “berkoukes”, is one of the oldest of northern Tunisia, in areas such as Béja, Bizerte and Kairouan, where women roll the coarse couscous grains by hand and dry them in the sun before turning them into a warming winter meal eaten straight from the pot with wooden spoons.