Ras el Hanout Meatball Couscous
Freeze-dried lamb, tomato powder, and raisins over couscous. One pot, one boil.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried ground lamb or beef | 2 oz | ground beef crumbles are easier to find and work the same |
|---|---|---|
| Ras el hanout | 2 tsp | buy it or blend cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, and black pepper |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | or crushed sun-dried tomatoes |
| Bouillon | 1 cube | chicken or vegetable |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Raisins | 3 tbsp | chopped dates or apricots also work |
| Instant couscous | 1/2 cup | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Dried cilantro or parsley | 1 tsp | |
| Lime juice powder or a citric acid pinch | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Boil 500 ml of water. Pour about 350 ml into the pot with the meat, tomato powder, bouillon, onion, garlic, ras el hanout, and raisins.
- Cover and hold it at a bare simmer for six to eight minutes. The meat needs that long to come back; the raisins swell in the same time.
- Kill the heat. Stir in the couscous and the rest of the water, then cover and wait five minutes off the stove.
- Fluff it, pour the oil over, and stir in the herbs, lime powder, and salt.
The original is meatballs browned in a skillet and simmered in sauce, which needs an egg, breadcrumbs, milk, and a pan you do not want to wash. What actually carries the dish is the spice, the sweet tomato base, and the raisins, so this keeps those and drops the meatball. Freeze-dried ground meat rehydrated in a spiced tomato broth lands in the same place with one pot and one boil.
Raisins matter more than they look. Ras el hanout is heavy on cinnamon and ginger, and without something sweet the whole pot reads as dusty. The acid at the end does the job lime juice did: it lifts everything after a long day when your palate is flat. Add it off the heat or it cooks away.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil goes in one bag: meat, spices, tomato powder, bouillon, raisins. Couscous rides in a second bag so you can add it at the right moment. Oil in a dropper bottle.
Variations
- Swap couscous for instant rice, but add it with the meat and give it a full ten minutes.
- No freeze-dried meat: use a foil pouch of chicken and stir it in at the end.
- Vegetarian version runs on textured soy protein and vegetable bouillon.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/moroccan-lamb-meatballs