COOKING COUSCOUS: COOKING WITH COMMERCIAL QUICK-COOKING COUSCOUS

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Cooking Couscous: Cooking with Commercial Quick-Cooking Couscous image

Categories     Sauce     Dessert     Side     Steam     Simmer     Boil

Steps:

  • An Easy Way of Preparing Quick-Cooking Couscous in the Oven
  • This is how I make couscous. It is very simple, and you can hardly fail, but there is an art to doing it well.
  • A package of couscous weighing 500 grams contains 3 cups, while a 1-pound package contains only 2 3/4 cups, so you had better measure it, as the weight varies depending on the brand. A foreign brand is likely to be 500 grams.
  • In North Africa 6 cups usually serve 6-8 people, but for us 3-4 cups are ample.
  • Put the couscous in a wide oven dish so that the grains are not squashed on top of each other. I use a large round clay dish, in which I also serve. Gradually add the same volume (3 cups for 3 cups of grain) of warm salted water (with 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt), stirring all the time so that it is absorbed evenly. Keep fluffing up the grain with a fork and breaking up any lumps (as the grains stick together). After about 10-15 minutes, when the grain is plump and tender, mix in 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and rub the grain between your hands above the bowl, to air it and break up any lumps.
  • Put the dish, uncovered (I used to cover it with foil, but now I find that leaving it uncovered keeps it fluffier), in a preheated 400°F oven and heat through for 15-20 minutes, until very hot. After about 10 minutes, fluff it up again with a fork. (Smaller quantities can be heated, covered, in a microwave oven.)
  • Before serving, work in 3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil and break up any lumps very thoroughly.
  • Other common package instructions recommended by manufacturers
  • For 2 people, boil 1 cup salted water in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 cup couscous, and mix. Allow the couscous to expand for 5-7 minutes, then add a knob of butter and separate the grains with a fork. Reheat for a minute over low heat while continuously stirring, or place for 1 minute in a microwave oven.
  • For 5-6 people, use 3 cups couscous. Empty the box into a dish and moisten with lukewarm water mixed with 1/2-1 teaspoon salt. Allow 10 minutes for the couscous to puff up before steaming in a couscoussier. As soon as the steam has penetrated through the couscous, empty into a dish and toss with butter or oil.
  • Serving Couscous
  • The traditional way to serve couscous is in a wide, round, slightly deep dish. Shape the grain in a mound or a cone with a hollow at the top. Lay the meat in the hollow and the vegetables on top or on the sides. Pour 1 or 2 ladles of broth over it all. Bring the rest of the broth to the table separately. By tradition, couscous is a communal dish, and the old way was for everyone to eat with one hand from the serving dish, from the side in front of them. Nowadays it is eaten with a spoon. The meat is supposed to be so tender that you don't need to cut it with a knife. On grand occasions the mound of couscous is garnished with boiled chickpeas, raisins, and fried blanched almonds, as well as sprinklings of confectioners' sugar and ground cinnamon for decoration.
  • Another way of serving, which has been adopted in France and which you might find more practical, is to serve in separate dishes: the grain on its own, the broth with the meat and vegetables in a separate bowl. Serve in soup plates, the grain on the bottom with the meat and vegetables and the broth ladled on top. If you like, pass around a peppery sauce made by adding harissa (page 464) or ground chili pepper to a few ladles of the broth.
  • Garnishes
  • Sprinkle the grain with cinnamon and confectioners' sugar and whole or chopped toasted blanched almonds, making a design with lines of cinnamon fanning down like rays from the top.
  • Decorate with walnut halves and raisins.
  • Side Dishes
  • For caramelized onions, cook 2 pounds sliced onions in about 4 tablespoons sunflower oil, with the lid on, over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes, until very soft. Then cook uncovered until they are really very brown, stirring often. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and cook a few minutes more.
  • Simmer 1/2 pound raisins in water to cover for about 10 minutes, until soft, and serve them in a bowl.
  • Soak 1/2 pound chickpeas for at least 1 hour, then drain and simmer in fresh water for 1 1/2 hours, or until very tender, adding salt when they begin to soften. Serve them hot in a bowl in their cooking water.
  • Variations to the Grain
  • For saffron couscous, add 1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron to the water before moistening the couscous.
  • Serve the grain mixed with hot cooked or canned chickpeas, heated through, and raisins, boiled in a little water and then strained.

Suman Murmu
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I can't wait to try this recipe! It looks so delicious.


Matlab Bazar
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This recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken or beef.


Zood Sood
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I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who loves couscous.


Ernesto Rodriguez
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This is the best couscous recipe I've ever tried. It's so easy to make and it tastes amazing.


Rashid Ahmed
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I've made this recipe several times and it's always a hit with my family and friends.


Saad Saad Shahzad
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This recipe is a great way to get my kids to eat their vegetables.


Jackie Leonard
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I'm not a fan of couscous, but this recipe made me change my mind. It was so light and fluffy.


Entertenment King
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This recipe is a great starting point, but I like to add my own spices and herbs to give it more flavor.


Sabal Ghimire
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I followed the recipe exactly, but my couscous turned out mushy. Not sure what went wrong.


Bukenya Shafic
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The couscous was a bit bland for my taste, but it was still a good base for my vegetables.


Faith Kiyila
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I was impressed with how quickly this dish came together. It's definitely a keeper!


Amine Saad
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This recipe is a great way to use up leftover vegetables.


Mark Bell
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I've never made couscous before, but this recipe made it so easy. I'll definitely be making it again.


Michu Tube
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The couscous came out perfect! It was fluffy and flavorful.


sipiwo dwadwa
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I love how versatile this recipe is. I've used it as a side dish, a main course, and even a salad.


Trenton Prine
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This couscous recipe is a lifesaver for busy weeknights! It's so quick and easy to make, and the results are always delicious.