Pearl Couscous - Lebanese Mograbieh

A traditional Lebanese moghrabieh (pearl couscous) recipe that's aromatic, full flavoured and hearty.

Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase via those links. Thank you for supporting Plant Based Folk! To learn more about affiliate links on Plant Based Folk, please read the Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.

Moghrabieh aka pearl couscous is a Lebanese street food; I wish you could all experience the good food found there! It is enjoyed in several ways, here is my mother's version. She would cook this for the whole family to enjoy and fill the house with the lovely aromatics that are released.
Moghrabieh is from the Arabic word Maghreb which translate to "West" which is where couscous originated from - Africa.

This dish originally contains animal protein; I have converted it to allow for a plant based/vegan diet. I am delighted to say, it still tastes amazing. I especially love eating Mograbieh with freshly cut tomato and cucumber. You could pair it with your favourite garden salad.

Jump to:

• What is pearl couscous? What is Moghrabieh made of?
• Is Moghrabieh gluten free?
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪Cooking Instructions
• ⏲️Cooking Time
• 💭Recipe Tips
• FAQ
• Other vegan Lebanese recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Community

What is pearl couscous? What is Moghrabieh made of?

Pearl couscous (Mograbieh) is a type of pasta. It is made from durum wheat, which is rolled into little balls. It is easily found in continental stores as the dry variety. I've yet to see the fresh variety in Sydney, Australia. Have you come across this?

Is Moghrabieh gluten free?

No. It is made from durum wheat which contains gluten.

How to Cook Vegan Moghrabieh

🥘 Ingredients

• 500 g Dry moghrabieh aka pearl couscous
• 275 g Small onions (I used French shallot) peeled and left whole
• 1 can Chickpeas dry chickpea is fine
• 1.5 tbsp Caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp Lebanese 7 spice allspice is a great alternative
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 pinch Seasoning to taste
• 1 Olive oil and plant spread (50:50 ratio) as needed

🔪Cooking Instructions

• Step one - Peel onions and set aside
• Step two - Wash (canned) chickpeas thoroughly and allow to drain, set aside.
• Step three - In a tall pot, cook Moghrabieh (pearl couscous) in boiling salt water for about 10/15min (or until cooked) stir occasionally to avoid moghrabieh sticking. Set aside.
• Step four - In a tall pot over med/high; heat add in olive oil & plant spread, once melted add in onion and fry until translucent (tender cooked and brown)
• Step five - Add chickpeas and ½ of the spices. Coat everything evenly
• Step six - Add Moghrabieh (pearl couscous) and the rest of the spices, coat evenly. If dry add in more oil/plant spread.
• Step seven - Serve hot/warm with a side 🥒 cucumber and tomato 🍅 or salad

⏲️Cooking Time

This recipe should take approximately 30 minutes to cook on a electric stovetop.

---

Are you loving this vegan Lebanese recipe? Get more sent to you directly.

💭Recipe Tips

• They key to this dish is for it not to be dry; hence in the recipe I have stated - use the amount you require of equal parts olive oil and plant based spread. Start with enough to coat your onions and then add more as you need. The moghrabieh should be glistening.
• All spice is a great option if you can't get a hold of Lebanese seven (7) spice
• Dry chickpea is preferred, but I was short on time, I used canned chickpeas (Edgell - Made in Australia) and as always save the brine (aquafaba) so many uses for this amazing water, e.g., Vegan Meringue with Rose Water
• If you would like to add a bit of colour to your vegan Lebanese moghrabieh, try add chunks of carrot.

FAQ

---

Other vegan Lebanese recipes

• Lebanese Black Eyed Beans Recipe Vegan - featuring lemony greens and buttery beans
• Lebanese Rice Vegan - my family can not get enough of this recipe. It's filled with veggies and topped with cashews, almonds and pine nuts.
• Haytaliyeh - Vegan Lebanese Milk Pudding - from Tripoli Lebanon, this is a dessert that's a must try
• Maftoul Salad - another fabulous couscous recipe, a Palestinian inspired creation
• Kidney Bean Stew - Lebanese Fasolia - Is a Lebanese stew; an easy go to recipe for whenever you're stuck for ideas
• Loubieh Bi Zeit (Green Beans Recipe In Olive Oil) Another easy vegan Lebanese recipe using fresh green beans
• Quinoa Tabouli - Authentic Lebanese Tabouli recipe that has been adapted to suit a gluten free diet. The taste is exactly the same!!
• Purslane Pockets Lebanese Bakleh - For something different but super delicious and nutritious you can go past this pastry
• Foul Akhdar Bi Zeit vegan green broad beans - A fresh green broad bean in EVOO, eaten with fresh Lebanese bread.
• Fresh oregano salad - I love eating this on toast for brekky, but it makes the best side salad to any meal and has the most powerful fragrant flavour

📖 Recipe

---

Hungry for more recipes like this moghrabieh one? Subscribe to our newsletter

---