Egyptian Sweet Couscous Dessert

Elmotoo's Note:

Among the variations of couscous, this recipe from Egypt is unrivaled for the sweet-toothed palate. Serve with a cold glass of milk or a demitasse of heavy Arabic coffee. Found for Zaar World Tour II.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 cup couscous
• 2 cups fruit juice
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• 3 tablespoons melted sweet butter
• ¼ cup finely ground blanched almond
• ¼ cup finely ground pistachio nut
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½-1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup candy-covered almonds (kufeta)
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds , if in season

Directions:

1. Bring fruit juice & rose water to a boil, add couscous, stir well, cover, remove from heat & let stand 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. Rub well into grains 3 Tbs. melted sweet butter.
3. Combine couscous with 1/4 cup each finely ground blanched almonds and pistachio nuts.
4. Mound on serving platter and sprinkle with mixture of powdered sugar & cinnamon.
5. Garnish with kufeta (candy-coated almonds) & pomegranate seeds.

Reviews

[Glori-B]

Due to some ingredient availability constraints, I was not able to make this exactly as written, but it was awesome nonetheless! I used a black cherry/concord grape blend for the 2 cups of juice; I used freshly ground almonds and pecans; and since I couldn't find the candied almonds I soaked some whole almonds in water for a couple of hours and then dredged them in a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon. No pomegranates available, so I used raspberries instead. It was awesome, especially while it was still warm. I can hardly wait to make this again. I'll have to invent an occasion as an excuse to do this again! Thanks for posting Elmotoo!

[UmmIbrahim]

I was enticed to make this dish by the posted photo using strawberries, which I used as well. This was a fast and delicious dessert. I always feel a little better about giving the kids sweets when they lean toward the healthy side like this. This is something I would be pleased to serve guests. Thank you for posting it!

[Nasseh]

This was a wonderful change from ordinary couscous. I substituted strawberries for pomegranate seeds. Since I was using strawberries I used strawberry-banana juice for my fruit juice. Instead of pistachio & almonds I used walnuts. A very good recipe, thanks.