Moroccan Spiced Chicken Stew with Couscous - Deliciously easy to make

As a continuation of my post on Moroccan Spices Mix earlier, I thought, might as well sharing with you a simple recipe of the Moroccan spiced Chicken Stew.
First time I had Moroccan food was when I lived in New York many years back. I remembered a very complex  taste of it. Moroccan cuisines are mixture of African, Middle Eastern, Arab, Mediterranean influences. Chicken, lamb, beef and other meats are widely used for dishes along with bread and salad. Couscous is a delicacy enjoyed by locals until now. A cup of mint tea is usually drunk to end the meal.
So what we do here is a simple chicken stew and couscous that I used Moroccan spice to jazz it up. Best part of all is that it is very simple and you could easily prepare this for a weekday dinner.

Moroccan Spices Mix - a little some Zing!

Also this was one of the night I would typically be looking forward to. It was when our group of friends from university gathered over at one of our friend's place whenever she came back to Bangkok. Best part of all that we might not have realized, it has been 20 years already that we known each other. Time flies, isn't it. Though this trip was slightly different as our lovely host, she actually moved back to Bangkok for good along with her husband and (not so) little kitty.
Like every time, we would do it in a pot luck style, everybody brings a little something to share. Though the high light of the night would be my friend's home cooked meal that we are all always looking forward to. Myself is one great admirer of her home cook. The other night she happily fed us with chicken stew and couscous that was quickly whipped up after returning from her busy day. In my opinion, couscous can be a little too dry at time but because it was served with a more soupy base dish so it was just perfect together.

Crispy Mixed Nuts Cookies - Crunchy Munchy!

Typing on the keyboard full of crumbs while I was also munching on these delicious crunchy cookies. I personally not a big fan of crispy kind, but these are results of me and my sister baking session at home on the past weekend.
We altered the recipe to tone down the sweetness and this time we found the balance of tastes, slightly sweet, salty and buttery with the crunchy texture of all nuts in them. As these ones have less flour in proportion, more on nuts and that is one of my weakness, I'm on the third one now and seems to keep going. I was surprised also how easy it is to make them. My sister is kind enough to let me share her recipe with you. Let me know how you like them when you try the recipe.

Get ready for your crunchy munchy time.

Satisfied - Konaya Curry Udon & Tempura

It became our ritual now that every time I pop into Bangkok, me a my lovely friend will catch each other for an extensive lunch and tea at least once if not more while I am there. We met at the recently opened community mall right around my neighborhood. With a coupon print out in hand, we were expecting to have a feast at a discounted price in the restaurant there specialized in beef, beef and beef. As it turn out we showed up just a day short of 20 days too early. Fail from using the coupon and our stomach were groaning, immediately my friend mentioned, Konaya! We were there once before, their udon was quite good, and myself as a big Japanese curry fan, burst back, Let's go!

A slight hint of comfort - Putien @ Kitchener Road

And who knows where did she originally from...I was briefly told about our ancestors migration story, until now I wasn't sure where exactly was our root. All I know is growing up in a half Chinese family, food is a big deal. " Have you eaten yet" was my grandmother's way of saying hello when I visited her. And don't you dare answering " No, I haven't ", I promise, that would be the beginning of a big feast to come.
I was too ignorant to learn, Teochew dialect Chinese is used in our family. This might be a small clue that tells me that my ancestors were probably from somewhere South of China. Although I have just a few simple words of Teochew Chinese that my grandmother said often remain in my memories, the granny herself and the taste of her food, on the other hand, were subconsciously embedded in.
Just last weekend, I stepped into this restaurant that gave me a nostalgic moment of her.