Maftoul, sometimes written as maftool, is a Palestinian grain dish that's similar to Moroccan couscous. Cooked here with several aromatic spices, chicken, and chickpeas, it's a traditional Levantine meal that's ready in less than an hour.
For some more great Palestinian recipes from my kitchen, try Galayet Bandora or fried tomatoes, chicken, vegetable, and rice Maqluba, or delicious sumac chicken dish, Musakhan.
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What is Maftoul?
Maftoul, sometimes called Palestinian couscous, is an ingredient in traditional Palestinian cooking. Couscous originally comes from North African cuisine and was brought to Palestine by North African immigrants, where it was adapted over time to use bulgur wheat rather than semolina.
Maftoul is similar to moghrabieh or mugrabiyeh, which references the Maghreb (North Africa). It's a Levantine dish too, made in Lebanon and Syria, and quite close to the Palestinian dish. Women make the couscous by hand, mostly on the West Bank, following traditional methods.
The production is all handmade, without machines. Bulgur wheat is mixed with water and rolled by hand until it's the right size and shape, then steamed, dried, and dried again in the sun.
Ingredients
Apart from the maftoul itself, the ingredients used for this recipe are common spices and other easy to find ingredients like onions and canned chickpeas.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Maftoul: it can be ordered online and found in most Middle Eastern grocers. Substitute pearl couscous, "moghrabieh" or fregola (Sardinian couscous) if you can't find it.
- Spices: caraway is traditionally used, but as it's uncommon in North American, it's been replaced with the more common cumin and fennel for this recipe. If you have caraway seeds, add some to the spice blend.
- Chicken: if you're not comfortable cutting a whole chicken yourself, either ask the butcher for help when you buy it, or use thighs instead and adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Butter: replace with olive oil if preferred.
Step by Step
This can be ready in about 45 minutes, as the couscous cooks while the chicken is in the oven. It's a pretty hands-off recipe that doesn't need much active time.
1. Prepare the spice mix: add all the spices to a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Bake the chicken: preheat the oven and season the chicken. Bake with the onions for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
3. Boil the maftoul: while the chicken is in the oven, cook the couscous in chicken broth for about 20-30 minutes, or until soft.
4. Prepare the chickpeas: fry the garlic and remaining spice blend, then add the chickpeas with some broth and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Assemble: combine the cooked maftoul with the chickpea mixture, adding a splash of liquid if needed so that it's not clumping.
6. Serve: plate the chickpea mixture and top with the roasted chicken and onions. Garnish with parsley and lemon, and serve.
How to Store
Storage: this will keep for a couple of days in the fridge in a sealed container. Add a splash of water when reheating if necessary.
Freezing: freeze in an airtight container for up to one month, then thaw in the fridge and reheat as usual.
Expert Tips
- Cook longer than you think: this whole grain version is different from the couscous you might be used to, and is boiled for some time before it's ready to serve. It's ready when it's soft and doesn't become mushy very quickly like some other varieties.
- Serve with something light: this is already a carb-heavy dish and shouldn't be served with rice, but rather roasted vegetables, salad, and yogurt. Try it with the cucumber yogurt salad or the chopped salad from Seed to Table.
- Adjust the spices: there's a careful balance here so that the spices blend and make for a nice fragrant dish. If you know you hate fennel, it can be omitted. Be sure to season to taste.
FAQ
No, the method and ingredients are different. The Israeli version is actually tiny extruded pasta, not couscous at all.
The ingredients are bulgur and whole wheat flour, rolled by hand and dried in the sun.
Palestine, and also made and served in the surrounding regions of Lebanon, Syria, and other countries in the Levant.
More Levantine Recipes
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Maftoul (Palestinian Couscous)
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon Cumin - ground
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seed - ground
- 1 teaspoon Fennel seed - ground
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon - ground
Chicken
- 1 Chicken - Cut into quarters or eights
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 Onions - Cut into wedges
Maftoul
- 1 ½ cups Maftoul - Pearl couscous (see substitution notes)
- 2 ¼ cups Chicken Broth
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 4 Garlic cloves - Minced
- 1 can Chickpeas - Drained and rinsed
- Parsley and Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Spice Mix. Prepare the spice mix by combining all the individual spices in a small bowl.
- Bake Chicken. Preheat your oven to 375C. Rub the chicken pieces with olive oil and season with ½ of the spice mixture, salt and pepper. Place the seasoned chicken pieces on a rimmed baking sheet or in a braiser with the onion wedges. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. You can broil it for a few minutes at the end of cooking to get it to crip up if you wish.
- Boil Maftoul. While the chicken is baking, boil the maftoul per package directions. If there are no directions, in a medium-sized pot with lid, place the maftoul, 2 ¼ cups chicken broth, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook covered for 30 minutes. You'll know the maftoul is cooked when it's soft. It's ok if there's a little liquid left in the pot.
- Prepare Chickpeas. In a large frying pan set on medium-low heat, add the butter and fry the garlic and the remaining ½ of the spice mixture, 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, a ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ cup of chicken broth. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes to warm through.
- Assemble. Combine the cooked maftoul with the chickpea mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning. This mixture should not be soupy, nor should it be dry. If needed add a splash of water or broth to make sure it doesn't clump.
- Serve. Serve the roasted chicken and charred onions over the chickpea and maftoul mixture. I like to use the same braiser I used to cook the chicken so all the wonderful bits and juices don't go to waste. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.
Notes
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Maftoul: it can be ordered online and found in most Middle Eastern grocers. Substitute pearl couscous, "moghrabieh" or fregola (Sardinian couscous) if you can't find it.
- Spices: caraway is traditionally used, but as it's uncommon in North American, it's been replaced with the more common cumin and fennel for this recipe. If you have caraway seeds, add some to the spice blend.
- Chicken: if you're not comfortable cutting a whole chicken yourself, either ask the butcher for help when you buy it, or use thighs instead and adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Butter: replace with olive oil if preferred.
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