Meatless Marvel! Cyril Lignac’s Couscous Wins Everyone Over!

Instead of a traditional royal couscous, Cyril Lignac offers a version that’s entirely vegetable-based! It’s lighter but no less tasty, Cyril Lignac describes on RTL. “I learned to make authentic couscous with an Algerian friend, but this version is excellent,” shared a user on Instagram. Ready to give it a try? It cooks faster and you can make it without a couscoussier!

Ingredients for Cyril Lignac’s Vegetarian Couscous

Here are the quantities to delight at least 15 people, perfect for large gatherings!

• 400 g of dry chickpeas
• Vegetables: 1 kg of onions, 1 kg of turnips, 1 kg of zucchini, 1 kg of carrots, 1 kg of celery, 1 kg of potatoes
• Spices: ½ tbsp of ras el hanout, ½ tbsp of ground cumin, ½ tbsp of ground pepper, ½ tbsp of ground coriander, ½ tbsp of paprika

• 1.5 kg of fine semolina
• 3 tbsp of tomato paste
• ¼ bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• Olive oil + Sunflower oil
• Fine salt and freshly ground pepper

Homemade Harissa:

• 1 red chili pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 pinch of fine salt

How to Prepare Cyril Lignac’s Vegetarian Couscous

The night before, soak your chickpeas in water.

1. Prepare the vegetables: in a large pot, sauté the chopped onions with a drizzle of sunflower oil. Add the carrots and celery cut into large pieces, season with salt, pepper, and spices. Sauté over medium heat, then add the drained chickpeas and tomato paste. Add water to cover and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Add cubed potatoes and quartered turnips and cook for 5 minutes. Add thick slices of zucchini and let simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat. Finish with chopped parsley.
2. Make the harissa: combine the deseeded and minced chili pepper, chopped garlic, salt, and olive oil.

3. Prepare the semolina: pour it into a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and work it slightly with your hands, Cyril Lignac instructs. Then, moisten it with vegetable broth, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it cook for about 7 minutes, the chef continues. Fluff with a fork and a knob of butter.

It’s ready! For an extra touch of delight, Cyril Lignac sprinkles his couscous with slivered almonds and a few dried apricots.