Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel.  Send your feedback to:
exe.chef@horizonmanor.com

Couscous is a traditional dish of durum wheat semolina which is cooked by steaming. It is the staple food of North Africa and is also one of the favourite dishes of France. Producing traditional couscous is a labour intensive process and requires time. Of late, couscous production is more mechanised. The most common misconception of cooking couscous is to boil it whereas it is always steamed. The key to make a perfect couscous is patience and care. A perfectly cooked couscous should taste tender, and not mushy, the grains should be separate and taste moist — not wet and also not dry. The number of times couscous is steamed also depends on the choice of the person cooking it and also the cultural preferences. I personally prefer to steam it twice to relish this tasty and healthy dish. The special steaming utensil is called kiskis and comprises a base which contains broth and the top consists of a perforated base with closed top.
Grilled chicken
and couscous

Serves 2

Ingredients
Chicken 500g
Couscous 250g
Lemon 1 no
Red onion 2 no
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Thyme few sprigs
Cumin 1 tsp
Bell peppers  1 no
Paprika 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Chicken broth 1 litre
Butter  50g

Method
Marinate the chicken with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat chicken broth in a steamer and steam couscous for 1 hour.
 In the meanwhile, grill the chicken and cook well from both sides, keep aside.
Once steamed, add a tbsp butter and toss the couscous to mix well.
Allow to cool down for 30 minutes and then again steam for 30 minutes.
Heat the remaining butter in a heavy bottom pan and sauté chopped onion, till translucent.
Add small diced bell
peppers and cumin powder, coriander powder, paprika
powder and mix well to make a sauce.
Once the couscous is ready, pour the prepared sauce on it and toss with a fork to combine.
Slice the grilled chicken and place on top of prepared couscous and serve hot.

Shaabiyat

Shaabiyat is a popular dessert from Syria and Lebanon. I personally like it owning to its similarity from two more Arabic sweets I like — the baklava and kunafeh.  Shaabiyat has the crunchy crust from baklava and the cheesy centre from kunafeh. This is what this dish makes itself a favourite among the sweet lovers. You can also choose phyllo pastry to save time and effort as the pastry takes some time and experience to prepare.

For pastry
Ingredients
Flour 500g
Butter  50g
Water  350ml
Corn flour 500g
Ghee 4tbsp
Filling
Milk powder 200g
Corn flour 3tbsp
Water  500ml
Rose water few drops
Sugar syrup
Sugar  250g
Water  250ml
Lemon salt a pinch
Garnish
Pistachio to garnish
Cherry to garnish

Method
Sift flour and add soft butter to it and crumble together.
Add water and knead to a smooth dough and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into 120g dough balls, you will get 7 portions.
Rest again for 15 minutes and roll into flat discs of 10 inch diameter, dust with corn flour.
Stack them together with corn flour dusting in between them to avoid sticking, freeze for 1 hour.
For the filling dissolve the milk powder in the water and bring to boil in a heavy bottom pan.
Dissolve corn flour separately in water and pour slowly in the boiling milk and whisk continuously to avoid lumps.
Once the mixture attains the thickness of sauce remove from flame and keep aside.
Prepare a sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water till the sugar is dissolved and clarify by
adding a pinch of lemon salt, keep aside.
Thaw the prepared dough for 10 minutes and dust again with corn flour between each disc.
Roll again carefully into 3mm thickness disc, and cut into 2.5 inch squares.
Place ½ tbsp of prepared filling in each square and fold it to cover the filling and form a triangle.
Brush with melted ghee and bake at 150 degree Celsius for 1 hour 15 minutes till golden brown.
Remove and pour the sugar syrup on top and allow to soak the syrup.
Serve garnished with pistachio and cherry.