Name: Vegetable Cous Cous
Ingredients: 1.5 litres/2½ pints/6 cups water; 24 ears fresh baby corn, shucked; 4 teaspoons kosher salt; 10 baby artichokes; 1 teaspoon anise seed; 1.5 kg/3 lb/6 cups cous cous, not instant; 2 teaspoons each cumin, coriander and ginger, ground; 1 small bunch fresh coriander sprigs; 1.5 litres/2½ pints/6 cups tomato juice; 1 teaspoon each crushed red pepper and cardomom, ground; ¼ teaspoon each allspice and fresh nutmeg, ground; 2 tablespoons each fresh lemon and lime juice; 1 teaspoon each sambal olek and harissa paste; 4 tablespoons olive oil; 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup tomato stock or juice; 24 , small fresh okra pods, trimmed; juice of 1 lemon; ½ teaspoon anise seed; ¼ teaspoon coriander seed, ground; ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, ground; ½ teaspoon cumin, ground; 24 baby carrots, scraped with1 cm/½ inch stem left; ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground; 24 baby turnips, scraped with 1 cm/½ inch stem left; 8 fresh tomatoes, seeded and quartered; 50 pearl onions, peeled; 12 tiny purple finger aubergines/eggplant; 24 spears fresh asparagus, snapped and peeled; 225 g/½ lb tomatoes, peeled, chopped and seeded; 12 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The New Vegetarian

By Colin Spencer

Published 1986

About

In contrast to the first course which is served in elegant individual portions, this main course is startling and ample - a contemporary variant on a classic Bedouin marriage dish that would be made with lamb and other meats. Here it is made with the most beautiful of tiny, early vegetables in a brilliantly garish plethora of vivid colours. Serve this splendidly festive dish with small bowls of spicy harissa sauce.

Traditionally the Bedouin bride would have divided the gra