Couscous avec Jacquier Chipolatas (Couscous with Jackfruit sausages)
Et voilà! We are arriving in France this week, preparing delicious plant-based French recipes. The first, well, actually second of this series of French inspired, traditional but reversed, culinary delights made vegan – somewhat the second, as we had Vol en Vent yesterday, a traditional French-Belgian dish made from Puff pastry – brings us French cuisine paired with Maroccan cuisine into our house. Couscous is such a wonderful side dish and so easy to make! We both love it a lot, as main part of a main dish served warm as well as in a couscous salad enjoyed cold.
What are Chipolatas? Chipolatas are small, thin sausages traditionally made from pork or chicken and seasoned with herbs such as thyme, sage, and parsley. Commonly enjoyed in French and Belgian cuisine, they are versatile and can be served with various sides, including mashed potatoes, salads, and rice dishes and, well, couscous.
I have been experimenting with Young Jackfruit lately. And I must admit, this is a very appreciable new ingredient in our kitchen. Well known in Mali and India, as the fruits are native to these countries, it is rather a hidden hint in our Western culture. While there the Jackfruit is being cut off shortly before use in their own gardens, boiled and then mashed to prepare delicious plant-based sausages, we have to make do with the preserved one, which is slightly different in flavor and texture. But no worries, it really has something special!
Let me introduce you to my very experimental version of vegan sausages made with Young Jackfruit in brine, here served on a beautiful Couscous végétal. Bon appétit!
INGREDIENTS and VARIATIONS
Couscous – a type of small, steamed granules made from crushed durum wheat semolina, a staple in North and West-Africa. We sticked with simplicity and seasoned it only with vegetable broth. Feel free to give it some North-African twist by adding soaked raisins and/or roasted nuts such as almonds or peanuts.
Chipolatas – my plant-based version is made with Young Jackfruit in brine, which is the unripe, green fruit of the jackfruit tree native to South and Southeast Asia, particularly in countries like India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, known for its fibrous texture that resembles pulled meat when cooked. While other recipes require protein-rich ingredients such as wheat protein or chickpea flour, mine is kept as simple as possible, just using cornstarch. It can also work with oat flour or other flour like ingredient. Important for an authentic Chipolata are the herbs. Dried herbs such as thyme, sage and parsley or simply the herbes de Provence mix are not only authentic, but also very beautifully flavor enriching.
Vegetables – feel free to use what you have. For an authentic French recipe I recommend to not omit the tomato and zucchini though. Edamame is a choice, I just had them at home and needed to finish the packet. And honestly, they go so well with this couscous dish! You can of course use cooked chickpeas or peas, or just leave them out.
*This, like basically all of my recipes, is made without onion and garlic.
Couscous avec Jacquier Chipolatas (Couscous with Jackfruit Sausages)
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 3/4 cup frozen edamame or peas alternatively cooked chickpeas
- 1 small to medium carrot
- 1/2 zucchini
- 1 ripe tomato
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp herbes de Provence or your prefered mediterranean dried herb mix
For the Chipolatas
- 400 g young jackfruit in brine drained
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp dried herbs (herbes de Provence, or thyme and rosemary)
- 1 pinch smoked paprika powder optional
- 3-5 tbsp cornstarch
- oil for frying
For the couscous
- 1 cup couscous I used whole durum wheat couscous
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vegetable broth powder or cube
- salt
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Cook the edamame or peas until done. Drain and set aside.
- Peel and cut the carrot in tiny cubes.Cut the zucchini and tomato in medium chunks.
- Sauté the carrots in the oil, until slightly brown. Add the herbes de Provence or your dried herbs of choice and the zucchini. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato chunks, the edamame or peas, stir, cover the pot with a lid and cook until the potatos are mushy (approximately 5-7 minutes). Check and stir regularily. Season the vegetables with salt.
Prepare the Chipolatas
- Mince the jackfruit pieces together with the mustard, the herbs and paprika powder. See that there is no water or brine left before mincing! It should be more or less dry, not too liquid. In case you end up with a mixture that is too dry, just add a tiny little bit of water (1 tsp) to it. This should be enough.
- With your fingers, knead in the cornstarch. Feel if it is too sticky to form sausages or not. If yes, add more cornstarch. Divide the mixture in 6 pieces and carefully form sausages.
- In a non-sticking pan, heat the oil and fry the sausages. Turn them to all sides, so they can brown all round.
Prepare the couscous
- In the meantime, bring the water and the broth to a boil.
- Pour the broth over the couscous, only stir carefully once or twice with a fork (!), cover the bowl and let the couscous soak. Once it has soaked all the liquid, tenderly fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains.
Assemble and serve
- Place the couscous on two plates, the vegetables on top, finish with 3 sausages each. The sausages are best enjoyed with some Dijon mustard. Tipp: Sprinkle the dish with the rest of the frying oil before serving.
