Butter and Raisin Couscous

This very unusual dairy couscous dish is traditional for Shavuot in my family. They brought the recipe from Algeria, where dairy products weren’t as common as in Eastern Europe, and where Jews didn’t have many dairy recipes, especially for holidays. One of my favorite couscous recipe, it is served with plain Kefir, a kind of liquid unsweetened yogurt. You’ll either love it or hate it!
Serves 6
1 lb. (450 g) plain couscous
1 Tbsp. butter, diced
1 cup (100 g) frozen peas
1 cup (100 g) frozen fava beans or baby lima beans
1 cup (100 g) raisins or more, according to taste
6 eggs, hard boiled
1 bottle (75 cl) plain unsweetened Kefir, usually found in the organic section
Salt
Steam cook peas in a steamer until tender or in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Repeat process for fava beans (20 to 25 minutes in a pressure cooker). Do NOT cook peas and fava beans together. Combine raisins with 1 cup water in a bowl. Cook in microwave for 1 minute. Drain in a colander. Follow instructions or the box for the couscous, but use diced butter instead of oil. Combine in a very large bowl couscous with vegetables and raisins. Serve warm with hard boiled eggs and kefir.
Serves 6
1 lb. (450 g) plain couscous
1 Tbsp. butter, diced
1 cup (100 g) frozen peas
1 cup (100 g) frozen fava beans or baby lima beans
1 cup (100 g) raisins or more, according to taste
6 eggs, hard boiled
1 bottle (75 cl) plain unsweetened Kefir, usually found in the organic section
Salt
Steam cook peas in a steamer until tender or in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Repeat process for fava beans (20 to 25 minutes in a pressure cooker). Do NOT cook peas and fava beans together. Combine raisins with 1 cup water in a bowl. Cook in microwave for 1 minute. Drain in a colander. Follow instructions or the box for the couscous, but use diced butter instead of oil. Combine in a very large bowl couscous with vegetables and raisins. Serve warm with hard boiled eggs and kefir.