Moroccan Inspired Millet… think couscous and tagines 🙂
Morocco if you have ever visited, is a place full of intrigue, of sights, sounds, smells and colour 🙂 . What seems like an eternity ago, I travelled fairly extensively in Morocco from Sidi Ifni in the South, through the Atlas Mountains, to the now touristy areas of Casablanca, Marrakesh, Rabat, Meknes and Essaouira and everywhere in-between! Staying off the beaten track in little more than shacks with outdoor toilets, visiting local markets, bartering in souks, learning snippets of Arabic and of course, sampling the wonderful North African cuisine 🙂 . When I travelled wherever I was, be it a city, a village, or the middle of nowhere, the food everywhere was steaming hot tagines filled with an abundance of vegetables piled onto mounds of sweet fragrant couscous. For this dish, I have recreated the light fluffy spiced couscous using millet as the base to make it gluten free, it has a wonderful flavour and works well with any tomato based casserole… perfect accompanying recipe to follow soon!
Gather
- 200g millet
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- 1/8 teaspoon mixed spice
- 600ml cold water
- 50g (1/2 medium) leek finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 20g raisins
- 100ml water
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- pinch of salt
- 20g (3) dried (unsulphured) apricots finely chopped
- 10g (9) almonds sliced
Prepare
- Toss the millet with the salt, mint and mixed spice in a dry saucepan for a couple of minutes until you start to get a cooked aroma. Add 600ml of water and bring to the boil. Boil for five minutes then cover and reduce the heat to simmer for fifteen minutes.
- In a separate pan cook the leek in the balsamic vinegar and gradually add 100ml of water.
- Add the raisins to the leeks and continue cooking until all of the water has gone.
- Sprinkle the sugar over the raisins and a pinch of salt, then add the apricots and the almonds. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Taste test the millet for texture (add more water if absolutely necessary) and add the raisin mix to the pan. Stir to combine, cover and cook for two minutes, then turn the heat off and leave to rest for five minutes.
- Fluff up with a fork and serve!
- Enjoy!
Serve & Store
- This is best served as a grain for tomato based dishes such as a vegetable tagine (or chicken/meat if you so desire)!
- Can be refrigerated and reheated by sprinkling water over the millet and microwaving until piping hot.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to two days.
- Alternatively serve cold with fresh salads.
