Couscous isn’t only delicious and healthy; It’s super easy to cook and made easy by our easy-to-follow guide here.
What is Couscous?
While we may think of it as a grain, couscous is more like pasta. Couscous is a North African foodstuff made from semolina flour. Semolina flour is the hardest part of durum wheat.
We can easily find quick-cook couscous in supermarkets, meaning we can cook it from start to finish in the same amount of time it takes to boil a kettle. To make this quick-cook couscous, semolina flour is rolled into small pellet-sized balls and then steamed in giant chamber pots. Traditionally, local communities roll couscous by hand, but mechanical means produce the bulk of supermarket couscous. The grains must be steamed slowly if your couscous is labelled as raw.
How to Flavour and Cook Couscous?
The basic recipe below calls for boiling water. However, a nicely flavoured stock will also help improve the flavours as the couscous will absorb the flavours. The seasonings used for couscous will depend heavily on your recipe. Try infusing a favourite spice or herb in the stock or water before cooking or mixing it through the couscous.
I like to infuse vegetable stock with a cinnamon stick and half a preserved Beldi lemon as I bring it to a boil. Of course, this is optional, and I haven’t included it in the recipe card below. Beldi lemons can be quite costly sometimes, as can cinnamon sticks.
How to Cook Couscous
To cook couscous traditionally, North Africans steam the raw couscous in a kettle-shaped pot known as “couscousier” in French. It’s often cooked with stews, allowing the couscous to soak up the flavours of the meat and vegetables.
Fortunately, most couscous sold in UK Supermarkets is what’s known as instant couscous and has already been cooked. This means that the traditional slow methods described above aren’t necessary for cooking couscous. Technically, we are not cooking couscous but warming it through and rehydrating it. For perfect, pre-steamed couscous, use equal amounts of liquid to couscous and follow the method described below.
- In a heatproof bowl, add the couscous and cover with the same amount of boiling water. For example, 200g of couscous requires 200ml of boiling water. I’ve allowed 50g of couscous per person, which means this recipe serves 4.
- Cover with cling film or a tight-fitting lid for 5-10 minutes. When cooked, couscous should feel light and fluffy, not grainy. The couscous should have all absorbed the water.
- Fluff with the fork and use as required. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It will keep for up to 3 days if stored in the fridge.
How to Cook Couscous
Ingredients
- 200 g Couscous
- 200 ml Boiling Water or Stock
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a heatproof bowl, add the couscous and cover it with boiling water or stock.
- Cover with cling film or a tight-fitting lid for 5-10 minutes. It should feel light and fluffy, not grainy, and the couscous should have all absorbed the water.
- Fluff with the fork and use as required. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Leave a ReplyCancel reply