Adding dried fruit, fresh mint and warm spices to savoury dishes is typical of North African cooking. Vegetarian mince replaces meat in this recipe
Total time40 mins
Serves 4
2tbsp sunflower oil2 medium onions, roughly chopped350g vegetarian mince1 tbsp ground cumin1tsp ground cinnamon2 tsp ground turmeric100g ready-to-eat dried apricots, quartered400ml vegetable stock
STEP 1Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onions and cook gently for 5 mins until they soften. Stir in the vegetarian mince, adding salt and pepper to taste, and spices (unlike meat and poultry, vegetarian mince doesn’t need to be browned), then add the apricots and stock. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and cook gently for 10-15 mins.STEP 2Meanwhile, make up the couscous following the packet instructions – it will take about 450ml boiling water to give it a nice fluffy texture. Fork through the lemon zest and mint. Season to taste.STEP 3Spoon the couscous onto serving plates, pile the vegetarian mince mixture on top and scatter with the cashews.
