The Draa Valley in southeastern Morocco almost certainly takes its name from the Amazigh (Berber) word for sorghum: dra or adras in the Tachelhit dialect. The grain has been cultivated in the valley's irrigated oasis gardens and terraced plots for at least two thousand years, arriving from the east along the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the Libyan Fezzan and the Saharan corridor. Sorghum couscous (seksu n dra) predates the wheat couscous now dominant in northern Morocco; in the pre-Saharan oases of the Draa, Dadès, and Tafilalet valleys, it remains the prestige grain for special occasions and communal celebrations.
The dish is assembled in the Amazigh tradition of abundance: sorghum couscous steamed twice in a couscoussier sits beneath a rich tagine of bone-in lamb, golden chickpeas, and plump raisins and dried apricots from the valley's own orchards, the whole scented with saffron, ginger, and a preserved lemon sliver. The golden raisins (zbib n dra) are a Draa Valley speciality: sun-dried from the oasis grapevines on flat rooftops, intensely sweet and concentrated, they are also traded south into the Sahel along the same caravan routes that once carried sorghum north.
Ingredients
couscous
400 g sorghum couscous (or coarse sorghum semolina)
1 tsp fine salt
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
tagine
700 g bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm pieces
2 medium onions, coarsely grated
200 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained (or 400 g tinned, rinsed)
100 g golden raisins (zbib)
80 g dried apricots, halved
0.25 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 3 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes
First pass of the couscous: place the sorghum couscous in a wide bowl. Sprinkle with 100 ml of cool water and toss with your fingertips, rubbing gently to break up any clumps. Leave for 5 minutes to absorb. Transfer to the top section of a couscoussier, or a fine-mesh steamer set snugly over a tall pot of simmering water. Steam uncovered for 20 minutes.
Tip the couscous back into the bowl. Break up any clumps with a fork while hot. Season with the salt and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside.
Start the tagine: heat the argan oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb pieces in batches until well coloured on all sides. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
Add the grated onion to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant.
Return the lamb to the pot. Add the soaked dried chickpeas (do not add tinned chickpeas yet) and pour over the water or stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
Second pass of the couscous: return the oiled couscous to the steamer. Steam for a further 15–20 minutes over the gently simmering tagine pot if it fits, otherwise over a separate pot of boiling water. Tip back into the bowl and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Finish the tagine: add the raisins, dried apricots, saffron water, and preserved lemon rind if using. If using tinned chickpeas, add them now. Simmer uncovered for a further 15 minutes until the fruit has plumped and the sauce has reduced slightly.
To serve: mound the sorghum couscous on a wide, deep serving platter. Make a generous well in the centre. Arrange the lamb pieces and fruit in and around the well, then ladle the cooking juices over the couscous so they soak in. Dust the lamb lightly with a little extra cinnamon and scatter fresh coriander if using.
Notes
Sorghum couscous (seksu n dra) is heavier and more robust than wheat couscous and takes more liquid and more time to hydrate fully; do not substitute the two-pass steaming with a simple boiling-water soak, as the texture will be wrong. If you cannot source ready-made sorghum couscous, use coarse sorghum semolina and hand-roll small quantities between damp palms to form rough granules before steaming — it requires practice but produces an authentic result. Argan oil (from the argan trees of southwestern Morocco) is the traditional cooking fat of the Draa region and worth sourcing for its distinctive nutty character; a good fruity olive oil is a sound alternative.
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