This easy to make vegan Moghrabieh (Couscous Stew) is a hearty 30-minute meal that’s protein-packed and loaded with cozy flavours. Just in time for those busy chilly weeknights!

About The Recipe

• Minimal prep work

• Ready in 30 minutes

• Great for meal-prep

• Protein-packed

What Is Moghrabieh?

Pronounced “Mogh-ra-biy-yeh“. It’s both the name of this Lebanese stew, and the Arabic word for “Couscous“. The word Moghrabieh also translates to “from the Maghreb“. Referring to the western region of the Arab world, where couscous was first cultivated in countries like Morocco (called “Maghreb” as well), Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya.

Moghrabieh is a Lebanese chicken couscous stew, made with cozy spices like cinnamon, caraway, and cumin. Cooked with chickpeas and bite-size caramelized onions for the ultimate hearty meal. In this recipe, we use mushrooms to replace the meaty texture of chicken to make a vegan Moghrabieh (Couscous Stew).

Ingredients You Need

• Couscous: Large pearl couscous (labelled as Maftoul or Moghrabieh), white or brown. Do not use small grain/fine couscous.
• Mushrooms: Thick slices of shredded oyster mushrooms works great to replace the meaty texture of chicken. Pat dry only – do not wash/rinse.
• Onions: Small onions/shallots, cut up into bite-size pieces. Caramelized with spices then boiled in the stew.
• Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Stewed in hearty flavours.
• Broth: Vegan chicken broth (or bouillon), if available. Use vegetable broth with extra spices instead.
• Spice Mix: A combination of seven spices, caraway, cumin, cinnamon, and salt & black pepper.
• Flavourings for broth: Cinnamon stick, bayleaves, and cloves. Remember to remove before serving!

How To Make Moghrabieh

Preparation
Pat dry the oyster mushrooms with paper towel (do not rinse), and shred into thick slices. Cut the shallots in half, peel, then chop off both ends. Drain a can of chickpeas and rinse under water.

Making the Couscous
Cook the couscous in boiling chicken-less broth first. Once done, strain the broth into a bowl to use later in the stew. Return the couscous back to the pot (off heat) with vegan butter and spice mix. Mix to combine and cover with lid for 10 minutes to absorb flavours.

Cooking the Stew
While the couscous is cooking, work on the mushrooms and caramelizing the onions. Add the thick slices of shredded oyster mushrooms to a hot pot. Press down with spatula – cooking for a few minutes to release all liquids. Add oil and spices, then toss in the onions to caramelize on both sides. Stir in the chickpeas with more spices, then cover with reserved broth (from the couscous), along with cinnamon stick, bayleaves, and cloves. Bring to simmer to finish cooking, and it’s ready to serve.

Expert Tips

• Meaty Texture: Make sure to squeeze out all liquids from the mushrooms before adding oil and spices to finish cooking.

• Storing Separately: To prevent leftover couscous from going soggy, store the stew in separate containers.

• Broth Substitute: If vegan chicken broth is not available at local stores, use vegetable broth instead with extra spices like caraway and seven spices.

Related Recipes

Here are a few more soups & stews recipes to try during the chilly days:

Vegan Moghrabieh Recipe

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Moghrabieh (Lebanese Couscous Stew)

Recipe by Waseem HijaziCourse: Dinner, SoupsCuisine: Arabic, Middle EasternDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

This easy to make vegan Moghrabieh (Couscous Stew) is a hearty 30-minute meal that’s protein-packed and loaded with cozy flavours. Just in time for those busy chilly weeknights!

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegan chicken broth

• 1 cup pearl couscous, white or brown

• 1 tbsp vegan butter

• 100g oyster mushrooms

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 6 small onions / shallots

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 3 bayleaves

• 3 cloves

• Spice Mix

• 1 tsp seven spices

• 1 1/2 tsp caraway

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

• Make the couscous. Add the broth to a medium pot and bring to boil over high heat. Stir in the couscous and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, until soft & tender to the bite. Strain out the broth into a bowl to use later. Return the couscous back to the pot (off heat) with the vegan butter and 2 tsp of the spice mix. Mix to combine and cover with a lid for 10 minutes.
• Cook the mushrooms. Shred each oyster mushroom into thick slices. Add to a hot pot over medium heat – with no oil – and press down with a spatula, cooking to release all moisture from the mushrooms.
• Prepare the onions. Cut in half and peel the outer layers. Chop off both ends, keeping the onions intact. Add the oil to the pot of mushrooms along with 2 more tsp of the spice mix. Stir and add the onions/shallots to caramelize for 5 minutes on both sides.
• Add the chickpeas with remaining spice mix. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes to cover each piece in oil and spices.
  
• Make the stew. Add the reserved strained broth to the pot. Add the cinnamon stick, bayleaves, and cloves. Top it off with water to cover the chickpeas. Bring to boil then turn heat down to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until chickpeas are soft. Remove the cinnamon stick, bayleaves, and cloves.
  
  To serve – fluff the couscous with a fork and scoop out into a bowl. Add a ladle of the stew on top. Garnish with parsley and enjoy.

Notes

• Small onions: If shallots are not available, use small onions, and cut each half into 4 quarters (bite-size).
• Broth Substitute: If vegan chicken broth is not available at local stores, use vegetable broth instead with extra spices like caraway and seven spices.
• Storing Separately: To prevent leftover couscous from going soggy, store the stew in separate containers.

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