Masfouf (Tunisian Sweet Couscous)
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Masfouf is steamed couscous sweetened with milk and honey and mixed with dates, raisins, nuts and banana, layered with a vanilla custard. It is Tunisian and it belongs to Ramadan. It is the sweet counterpart to Tunisian couscous, which is otherwise a savoury dish, and that inversion is the whole idea, the same grain, the same steaming technique, turned into a dessert or a breakfast. During Ramadan it appears at suhoor, the meal before dawn, because it is filling and sustaining, and at iftar as a sweet. Geranium water is the ingredient that places it. Distilled from scented geranium leaves, it is used across Tunisian sweets in the way rose water and orange blossom water are used further east, and it has a green, faintly citrus perfume that neither of those reproduces. Middle Eastern and North African grocers stock it. Steaming the couscous properly rather than pouring boiling water over it is what the recipe asks for, and it is the difference between light separate grains and a claggy mass. This is a dessert made from properly cooked couscous rather than instant. **It contains almonds and walnuts, which the title gives no indication of.** The source's ingredient list repeats milk, honey and geranium water without indicating that the second set belongs to the custard.
AFN Heritage Note
Masfouf is a Tunisian sweet couscous made with milk, honey, dried fruit and nuts, eaten particularly during Ramadan at suhoor and iftar. It is the sweet counterpart to savoury Tunisian couscous, and is scented with geranium water, which is characteristic of Tunisian sweets.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Prepare the couscous with the olive oil and water, working the oil through the grains. Put it in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes, this is what keeps the grains light and separate.
- 2
Meanwhile, wash and chop the dates and the nuts, and leave the raisins to soak in geranium water mixed with a little water.
- 3
Warm the milk with the honey until the milk is hot and the honey has dissolved.
- 4
Take the couscous off the heat and pour the hot milk over it. Mix gently with a fork and cover for 5 minutes, until the couscous has absorbed the liquid.
- 5
Mix in the dates, nuts and the soaked raisins with their geranium water, then the sliced banana. Mix gently and set aside.
- 6
For the cream, mix the custard powder with cold milk and the honey or sugar. Cook over heat, stirring, until it thickens into a vanilla custard. Take it off the heat and mix in a splash of geranium water.
- 7
To assemble, spoon masfouf into individual bowls, leaving room for a layer of the cream and then a further layer of masfouf.
- 8
Decorate with sliced banana and more nuts, and serve at breakfast or as a dessert.
Africook’s Notes
- This contains almonds and walnuts. Nothing in the name says so, so mention it when serving.
- Steam the couscous properly rather than pouring boiling water over it. Thirty minutes is what gives you separate grains rather than a mass.
- Work the oil through the couscous before steaming. It coats the grains and keeps them apart.
- Add the banana last and serve promptly, or it browns and softens into the couscous.
- Geranium water is the Tunisian note here. Rose or orange blossom water will substitute but they taste noticeably different.
- Soak the raisins properly. They plump up and carry the geranium water through the dish.
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