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๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algerian Kabyle Couscous with Dried Meat

Couscous with dried meat is one of the dishes prepared for the Achoura occasion in the region of Great Kabylie in Algeria.
The meat is usually parts of Lamb or mutton that was sacrificed for Eid Al Adha.
The best parts of meat used for drying are mutton thighs and ribs.

The dried meat is called in Algeria Gueddid, Keddid, Qeddid ( Arabic ู‚ุฏูŠุฏ and Kabyle – Achedluh).

First, prepare the meat sauce

The meat sauce contains dried meat and can have a mix of dried and fresh meat. The vegetables in the sauce are variable. It does not have to be exactly the one I have used in this recipe.

Prepare the dried meat the night before cooking it

Soak the dried meat in hot water the night before cooking it to get rid of excess salt. Cover and let it soak overnight.
Rinse the meat and place it in a saucepan half full of hot water.
Boil the meat for about 5 minutes. This step is optional.
Since the meat is soaked overnight, it should be fine with salt. I do boil it for other reasons.
The meat was sun dried and during the drying process, some insects may be around it . I feel safer to boil it!

Cooking the sauce

Put olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the chopped onion, dried meat ( you can mix it with fresh meat).
Add salt, pepper, ginger, paprika and tomato paste. Let cook for 5 minutes.
Add grated tomatoes, carrots and chickpeas, then let cook for a good 10 minutes.
Cover the meat and vegetables with water and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Prepare the Couscous
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the couscous, please refer to my recipe here:
https://www.myexcellentdegustations.com/how-to-prepare-a-fluffy-couscous/

Add celery and green beans to the sauce . Let cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
At the end of cooking add zucchinis then cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add hot water if needed and adjust the seasoning.
Serve the Couscous garnished with meat and vegetables along with the sauce.
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๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algerian Kabyle Couscous with Dried Meat

Course Main Course
Cuisine Algerian
Keyword Couscous with dried meat, Gueddid, Keddid, Qeddid
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 8
Author LDSโ€™s Mom

Ingredients

  • About 2 pounds dried meat (lamb or mutton)
  • 2 lbs couscous
  • 4 medium carrots, cut into long pieces
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 medium zucchinis, cut into long pieces
  • 1 lb or less green beans cut into long pieces
  • 4 celery stalks, cut into long pieces
  • 1 large tomato or 2 mediums, grated
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for the couscous
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • Water

Instructions

  1. Put olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and dried meat (you can mix it with fresh meat).

  2. Add salt (start with 1 tsp), pepper, ginger, paprika and tomato paste. Let cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Add grated tomatoes, carrots and chickpeas. Let cook for a good 10 minutes.

  4. Cover the meat and vegetables with hot water.

  5. Cook covered for about 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.

  6. In meanwhile, prepare the couscous. Please refer to my homemade recipe, the link is above.

  7. Add celery and green beans and let cook for 15 minutes.

  8. Add zucchinis and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. You may need to add hot water and adjust the seasoning.

  9. Once everything is cooked, turn off the heat.

  10. Serve the couscous garnished with meat and vegetables along with sauce.

Recipe Notes

  • Make sure that you add less salt ( start with 1 teaspoon first) to the sauce at the beginning of cooking as the dried meat is salted. Adjust the seasoning later on.

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Easy Homemade Pita Bread

I have tried the baked pita bread but I failed. I did not have any issue with puffiness of my pitas but I had other issues.

The pitas baked at 450ยฐF, did puff perfectly but when baked until golden, they came out dry.

When I reduced the cooking time, they came out very white and under cooked, so I decided to cook my pitas on a cast iron skillet and that works!

This recipe is very easy to make and doesnโ€™t require much ingredients.
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Easy Homemade Pita Bread

Keyword Homemade Pita bread, Pita bread
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings 8
Author LDS’s Mom

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp dry active yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra to oil the bowl
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment ( I use a whisk when I make a small amount), put 1 cup flour, yeast and water.

  2. Mix until incorporated, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

  3. Add salt, oil and the remaining flour gradually. Add one cup first and mix well, then add the rest of the flour if needed (1/4 cup).

  4. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Check if it needs more flour(some flours absorb more liquids than the others).

  5. Once the dough gets together (it should be a little sticky), stop mixing.

  6. Oil your hands with olive oil to avoid stickiness and gather the dough into a ball. Oil the dough all over with about 1 tsp olive oil.

  7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour to 2 hours (depends of the temperature of your kitchen).

  8. Place the dough on a floured working board.

  9. Deflate the dough and cut it out into 8 equal pieces. Form 8 balls( you can cut out the dough into 6 pieces or less for bigger pitas).

  10. Cover the dough balls with kitchen towel and let rest for about 25 minutes.

  11. Roll out the dough balls into thin discs of about ยผ inch.

  12. Let rest for about 5 minutes before cooking them.

  13. Cook on a slightly oiled cast iron skillet over medium heat( reduce or increase the heat if needed).

  14. Once the pita starts to bubble for about 2 minutes, flip it over and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  15. Flip the pita again and let cook and puff. You may need to flip it again. Note that some pitas puff completely and others puff partially, that is OK!
  16. Place the cooked pitas in a clean kitchen towel and cover if not consumed right away.

Recipe Notes

  • Donโ€™t roll out the dough balls into extremely thin discs, as they may not puff.
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