Hashu is one of those things we ate often growing up. My mom would make it for Shabbat and holidays and dress it up with carefully toasted pine nuts, and garnish it with curly parsley. The perfectly cooked rice, the soft sautéed onions, the flavorful ground beef with the warm and cozy spices that are most often used in Syrian cooking. This fun take on hashu using couscous is a great way to make a festive food a little casual and perfect for weeknight suppers. I highly recommend serving this alongside Israeli salad with lots of fresh lemon juice!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 8.8-oz bags of Israeli pearl couscous
- 2 tablespoons onion soup mix
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3½ cups water
MEAT
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1½ lb ground beef
- 1½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- Prepare the couscous: In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and sauté until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add couscous, stirring to coat. Toast the couscous for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Season with onion soup mix and soy sauce; stir well to combine. Add water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the meat: Heat oil in a medium nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef; cook until no longer pink, using a potato masher to break apart the bigger chunks of meat. Season with allspice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Cook for 1 additional minute. Set aside.
- Add cooked ground beef to cooked couscous; stir well to combine.
- Tip: This dish freezes well. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. To warm, simply cover and place in a 200-250°F oven until heated through. Mix well before serving.