Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas

By Martha Rose Shulman

Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes, 2¼ hours' simmer
Rating
4(142)
Notes
Read community notes

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

Featured in: Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 1pound okra
  • Salt to taste
  • ½cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1large onion, chopped
  • 2 to 4large garlic cloves (to taste), minced
  • Salt, preferably kosher, to taste
  • 1½teaspoons paprika
  • ½teaspoon cayenne (more to taste)
  • 1pound tomatoes, grated, or peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 2cups 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
  • 1large sweet red pepper, seeded and cut in large dice
  • 2tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1tablespoon harissa (more to taste), plus additional for serving (optional)
  • ½cup chopped fresh parsley, or a mixture of parsley and cilantro or mint
  • 2 to 2⅔cups couscous (⅓ cup per serving)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

463 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 660 milligrams sodium

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.

Powered by

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 1½ 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 1½ 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.

Ratings

4 out of 5
142 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

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.

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.

Firas

I soaked dried chickpeas overnight and followed the recipe to the T. I would simmer for 15 or 30 minutes more next time to soften the chickpeas more. I would also consider using other spices like cumin and coriander and cut down on the chickpeas. Used frozen okra, I thawed it first by sauteing in a pan with a little olive oil. Overall was delicious!

Ludwig

Very happy with this! I replaced the okra with meatballs. Worked so well with the couscous!

Firas

I soaked dried chickpeas overnight and followed the recipe to the T. I would simmer for 15 or 30 minutes more next time to soften the chickpeas more. I would also consider using other spices like cumin and coriander and cut down on the chickpeas. Used frozen okra, I thawed it first by sauteing in a pan with a little olive oil. Overall was delicious!

K. Yancey

Because the predominant note of the dish was vinegar I, too simmered the stew for an additional 30 minutes. I added some habanero peppers to add some additional spice to the harissa as well.

Mdolan

My husband and I loved this dish. We added roasted lamb sharks to the leftover stew. Outstanding!

Mdolan

My husband and I loved this dish. We added roasted lamb shanks to the leftover stew. Outstanding

ragbird

Sweet or smoked paprika?

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.

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.

elena

If using canned chickpeas, is 1 can enough or should I use two? Thanks.

rk

Delish- I would make it again. Happy to use so many of my CSA ingredients. I used canned canelli beans because I forgot to soak the garbanzos. I would cut the okra in 1” chunks & maybe sauté them (after soaking etc) with the onions. Note when your serving the beans sunk to the bottom so scoop them up into each serving.

Allie C

I would update this recipe to either use the frozen precut okra or to cut them up into smaller pieces.

susanne

Loved this - served over cauliflower rice. I used smoked paprika as well.

Tracey Smith-Oliver

I don’t understand the long cooking times. Chickpeas take far less than 1 1/2 hours to cook followed by another 30-45 minutes?

Sara

I made this with precut frozen okra and precooked chickpeas. It was delicious. Did not soak the frozen okra, but added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar at the end

Private notes are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.

More Recipes From Martha Rose Shulman

Trending on Cooking

Cooking Guides