Couscous is a Berber dish made from semolina, flour and water. Traditionally, it is served as an accompaniment to a meat or vegetable stew, but no one forbids accompanying it with a delicious Mexican curry or chili. This dish is widespread in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, West African Sahel, France, the island of Madeira, in the Sicilian province of Trapani and in part of the Middle East. With a little practice you will be surprised to see how easy it is to make couscous.
Ingrediants
- 500-750 ml of water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 kg of semolina
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of flour
- 250 ml of extra virgin olive oil
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Making Couscous from Scratch
Step 1. Pour the water into a steamer and bring it to a boil
Just before the couscous is ready to cook, add the cinnamon and bay leaf.
Step 2. Pour the semolina into a bowl and slowly add the flour, salt and boiling water
Step 3. When all the ingredients are blended, pass the resulting mixture through a sieve
Make sure you break all those large lumps of semolina that can't get through the sieve. Otherwise they will not cook evenly.
Step 4. Cook the semolina mixture in the steamer for about 15 minutes
Step 5. Remove the semolina from the steamer
Pour the mixture into a second bowl and mix it with a fork to make it fluffy.
Step 6. Add the remaining oil and water
The couscous will need to have a moist consistency so add more water if necessary to achieve this. Mix it thoroughly and then let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Step 7. Steam the semolina for another 15 minutes
Remove the mixture from the pot and let it rest for another 10 minutes. You can do this in advance, and then serve the couscous to the table at the right time. When you are ready to enjoy your couscous you will have to follow the few steps left.
Step 8. Cook your couscous for the third time, for another 15 minutes or so
After this step, the couscous will be cooked perfectly, soft and soft at the right point.
Step 9. Serve hot as a perfect accompaniment to a chicken dish, or any traditional Moroccan or Middle Eastern dish
Couscous is also a perfect vegetarian dish that goes great with eggplant.
Step 10. Finished
Method 2 of 2: Prepare Precooked Couscous
Step 1. Use this simple trick to make fluffy and tasty couscous quickly and easily
Many packs of pre-cooked couscous have instructions for preparation directly on the pack. Steam cooking is normally recommended, which is correct and accepted by most, but which does not always give optimal results.
Step 2. Line the bottom of a high-sided pan with 600g of couscous
Try to get as thin a layer as possible. Therefore, opt for a sufficiently large baking sheet.
Step 3. Pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil
Step 4. Add the salt and oil
Stir until they are incorporated properly.
Step 5. Very carefully, pour the boiling water into the pan with the couscous
Step 6. Cover the saucepan with cling film and let the ingredients rest for 15 minutes
Step 7. After the necessary time, remove the foil and mix the couscous with a fork to incorporate air and make it fluffy
Step 8. Finished
Advice
- Couscous is a preparation that can be carried out in advance, which can be steamed immediately before serving it on the table.
- Many people like to add raisins and dried fruit to their couscous, especially in combination with a delicious meat stew.
- You can enjoy both hot and cold couscous, with or without additional toppings, according to your personal taste.
