Jewelled Couscous Recipe with Puy Lentils & Pomegranate

This jewelled couscous recipe is a Persian-inspired dish made with spiced couscous, puy lentils, nuts, fruits, herbs and pomegranate arils.

What is jewelled couscous?

Jewelled couscous is a Persian recipe made with spiced couscous, nuts, fruits, herbs and pomegranate arils. Visually impressive, it is often served on special occasions. The variety of colour and texture of the ingredients is what gives the dish its ‘jewelled’ name.

This is one of my recipes that’s taken years to evolve, and it’s never really the same twice. It’s one of those use-up-whats-in-the-cupboards kinds of midweek recipes, but it’s also good enough that you can serve it on special occasions, like when you’re trying to make a seriously good first impression.

I began making a version of this recipe years ago as an easier alternative to jewelled Persian rice with tahdig, throwing in dried barberries, flaked almonds and a handful of chopped parsley and mint with the couscous.

Now, my jewelled couscous recipe is a gorgeous presentation of spice-infused couscous punctuated by various flavours, textures and little pops of juicy colour. A proper centrepiece, I think, so much, so my couscous recipe has its own special serving dish.

Ingredients you’ll need…

How to make this easy jewelled couscous

1. Place the couscous (toasted, if desired) into a bowl along with the turmeric, olive oil and vegetable stock.
2. Cover the bowl of couscous and leave it to sit for 10 minutes before fluffing the grains apart with a fork.
3. Gently saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft. Toast the pine nuts. Cool.
4. Stir in the toasted, ground cumin, puy lentils, almonds, pistachios, sultanas and pomegranate arils.
5. Add the finely chopped herbs, the lemon juice and a further drizzle of olive oil—season with salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves and a little more toasted, coarsely ground cumin.

What to serve with jewelled couscous

• Moroccan-inspired slow-cooked lamb 
• simple creamy hummus drizzled with a little lemon-infused olive oil and sprinkled with smoked paprika 
• plain natural yoghurt drizzled with chilli-infused olive oil
• simple layered tomato salad
• grilled halloumi cheese with chilli
• flatbreads like baladi or khobez

This is my most favourite kind of meal, a medley of flavours and textures. Best of all, everything can be prepared in advance, so there’s very little that needs doing before serving other than plating it all up.

I like to make it look even more impressive by drizzling the side dishes with either chilli or lemon-infused olive oils, a sprinkling of smoked paprika here, a dash of crushed chilli pepper there.

To finish, chopped fresh herbs. It just looks… appealing. The presentation can mean a lot when it comes to food.

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