Middle Eastern zucchini couscous pan with chicken, feta and mint-lemon yogurt

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g chicken breast fillet(s)
• 2 m.-large zucchini
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100 g date tomatoes
• 100 g feta cheese made from sheep’s milk
• 1 tsp, heaped red pepper flakes, fermented (Isot-Biber)
• 2 pinches of chili flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp oil for frying
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tsp sesame seeds
• ½ tsp sumac
• 150 g couscous
• 300 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ½ tsp thyme, dried
• ½ tsp marjoram, dried
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 125 g yogurt, Greek or Turkish, 10% fat
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey
• ¼ tsp mint, dried
• n. B. Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

First, prepare the dip so it can steep a little. To do this, mix the yogurt with lemon juice and honey until smooth, add the mint and season with salt. Refrigerate to steep. To drain the zucchini, rinse it and trim the stem. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and cut into approximately 1.5 cm wide pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl with salt and mix well. Then spread the pieces out on a flat plate and microwave uncovered at 900 watts for about 8 minutes to drain the water, so the pieces are slightly shriveled. This way, the zucchini loses its moisture before frying and not in the pan, making it easier to roast in the pan. In the meantime, peel and finely dice the onions. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Cut the feta cheese into smaller cubes. Cut the meat into strips or dice it. For the couscous, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Toast the sesame seeds in a small, non-stick pan until golden yellow. Place them in a mortar with the thyme and marjoram and grind them slightly. Place the couscous in a bowl, add the ground sesame and herb mixture, and turmeric, and mix lightly. Pour over the boiling vegetable stock, add the olive oil for the couscous, and cover. Let it swell for about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan until very hot and brown the meat for about 2 minutes, turning or tossing. Reduce the heat to half, add the garlic and onions, and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat. Add the drained zucchini and tomatoes to the meat and sauté the zucchini for about 5 minutes. Then sprinkle with the fermented red pepper flakes and a few chili flakes and stir. Fluff the swollen couscous with a fork. Add to the pan and sprinkle with the feta cubes. Stir everything together and continue cooking briefly over medium heat until the feta begins to melt. When serving, garnish with some toasted sesame seeds and sumac and serve with the yogurt, or even better, pour it directly onto the dish, as the yogurt provides the necessary juiciness. Notes: If you don’t want to drain the zucchini beforehand, you must add salt to the zucchini and meat pan before adding the couscous. Otherwise, the remaining salt in the drained zucchini will provide the necessary saltiness. If you have a za’atar spice mix, use only sesame seeds, thyme, and marjoram in the total amount of the individual ingredients. Like sumac, fermented red pepper flakes (isot-biber) are inexpensive and available in Turkish supermarkets. Za’atar spice mix, which is typical of Middle Eastern flavors, is also often available there.