Couscous is small balls made from very finely ground grains, most often wheat. This dish is common in the East, but more and more often our compatriots are including dishes from this product in their daily diet. Couscous retains the beneficial properties of the cereal from which it was made, making food from it a satisfying and nutritious one. But unlike our usual porridges, it is prepared very quickly and easily, because it doesn’t even need to be cooked. If you learn how to prepare couscous as a side dish, you can pamper your loved ones with delicious and nutritious lunches and dinners by whipping them up. After all, even on the train, at work or at the dacha, being in cramped conditions and not having much time, couscous can be turned into an appetizing side dish or even a full-fledged dish.
Cooking features
Preparing a side dish of couscous will not be a difficult task even for an inexperienced cook. This cereal cooks quickly, and to get a tasty meal from it you only need to prepare an appetizing dressing from vegetables or other ingredients. However, if you are not familiar with the basic principles of preparing couscous dishes, you may get a completely different result than the cook expects. Before you move on to choosing a suitable recipe, it is worth getting acquainted with the general principles of preparing foods from this unusual cereal.
- Couscous is not always the same; its properties may depend on the grain it is made from. Usually, to prepare it, they use twice as much boiling water as cereal, and leave it for only 5–10 minutes. But if the product is made not from semolina, but from another grain, the ratio of couscous to liquid, as well as its swelling time, may be different. To avoid mistakes, you must adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations, which are easy to find on the product packaging.
- Couscous is not boiled, but simply poured with boiling water and left to steep for a certain time . After the cereal has swollen, it needs to be loosened with a fork, and only then combined with other ingredients or served.
- When preparing a side dish of couscous, you need to know that the cereal swells greatly, significantly increasing in volume. From 75 g of couscous and 150 ml of water, you get about 300–350 ml of finished food (weighing about 220 g), which is more than enough for a serving.
- To correctly determine the optimal ratio of ingredients, sometimes you need to know not only the volume, but also the weight of the product. Without a scale, couscous can be measured using a glass or spoon. A teaspoon holds about 7 g of cereal, a tablespoon holds about 25 g, and a 200 ml glass holds 220 g.
- When preparing couscous as a side dish, it is often flavored with oil or sauce and mixed with fried, stewed and boiled vegetables. By the time you combine the vegetables with the couscous, they should be cooked through.
The benefits and harms of couscous
Couscous has a number of very useful properties due to its unique composition. The cereal contains:
- copper and potassium
- zinc and iron
- manganese and phosphorus
- B vitamins
Despite all the usefulness of cooked couscous, its calorie content is 376 calories per 100 g, which is considered a high indicator, so you should not get carried away with this dish if you do not want excess fat cells to be deposited on your waist or hips.
Now let's take a closer look at the benefits of couscous and the possible harm it can cause to the human body:
- Benefit:
- cereal reduces the risk of diabetes
- removes harmful cholesterol from blood vessels
- improves sleep and tones muscles
- increases hemoglobin
- has a positive effect on the woman’s reproductive system
- improves the condition of the human digestive system
- strengthens the heart muscle and joints
- improves brain function
- Vered:
- may provoke an allergic reaction in people who have a predisposition to individual intolerance to cereals;
- if you have diabetes or other problems with the endocrine system, it is better not to eat couscous, as the disease can only get worse;
- if you are overweight, then couscous can only make the situation worse.
The easiest recipe for making couscous as a side dish
Compound:
- couscous – 0.25 kg;
- water – 0.4 l;
- salt, butter - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Measure out the required amount of couscous and pour it into a small saucepan. Add some salt.
- Boil water in a kettle or other saucepan and pour it over the couscous.
- Cover the pan with the cereal with a lid. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Add melted butter and loosen the food. Taste it, add salt if necessary, stir again.
Couscous prepared according to this recipe is suitable as a side dish for almost any dish. It goes worst with fish, best with meat.
Side dish of couscous in vegetable broth
Compound:
- couscous – 0.22 kg;
- water – 1 l;
- onions – 150–180 g;
- carrots – 160–200 g;
- bay leaf – 1 pc.;
- salt, ground black pepper - to taste;
- refined vegetable oil – 20 ml.
Cooking method:
- Peel the onions and carrots. No need to chop vegetables.
- Place the vegetables in a saucepan and cover with clean water. Add salt and spices to them. Pour in a spoonful of vegetable oil.
- Place the pan on the stove. Over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the flame intensity and cook the vegetables until they are done.
- Strain the broth.
- Place the couscous in a bowl or other container, pour in 0.4 liters of hot broth. Cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes.
Place the prepared couscous on plates using a cooking ring and garnish with slices of boiled carrots. All that remains is to place the main dish next to it and serve the food to the table.
Delicious dishes with couscous grains: recipes with pictures
Couscous with pork in a slow cooker
| Ingredients | Quantity |
| couscous grains - | 250 g |
| pork - | 500 g |
| carrots - | 1 PC. |
| onion - | 1 PC. |
| garlic - | clove |
| coriander - | pinch |
| salt - | taste |
| Cooking time: 60 minutes | Calorie content per 100 grams: 140 Kcal |
How to cook:
Place the meat, cut into medium-sized pieces, into the main bowl of the multicooker;
Pour water so that it covers the meat by about 1-2 centimeters;
Add finely chopped garlic, coriander, salt, stir;
Set the “quenching” mode by setting the timer to 30-40 minutes (there are multicookers where the minimum time is an hour, then set it to minimum, and then after the previously specified time, turn off the device);
While the meat is stewing, grate the carrots on a coarse grater and fry them with the onions in a frying pan until half cooked;
After the allotted time, add the fry to the meat and stir. Sprinkle the cereal on top, no need to mix;
Close the multicooker and set the “Steam” program, turning on the timer for 5-10 minutes;
After time has passed, the dish is ready. You can enjoy its taste.
Couscous side dishes
As a side dish, couscous is a truly versatile grain. The thing is that the taste of couscous itself is not very expressive, so it can be combined with almost any combination of products.
The most popular side dishes with couscous are combinations of cereals with various vegetables. In addition to the already mentioned carrots and onions, you can use other additives.
Quick side dish recipe
This dish is simply ideal for preparing dinner in a very short time after a busy day at work.
- 1 cup couscous;
- 1 package frozen trail mix (preferably one with green beans, carrots and corn)
- Salt and spices to taste;
- Sunflower oil.
How to cook:
- Pour a small layer of oil into the pan;
- Pour in the packet of mixture, cover and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally;
- Then pour the required amount of water (indicated on the package with the cereal) into the frying pan, over the vegetables, and bring the water to a boil;
- Then pour in the cereal and cover the pan with a lid. Turn off the heat and let the cereal brew. If you want to have a crumbly side dish, then the couscous must be stirred periodically with a fork.
The quick dish is ready!
Couscous with cheese and tomatoes
Another option for quickly preparing a side dish.
- 250 g couscous;
- A couple of large tomatoes;
- Cheese (Parmesan) – 100 g.
Cooking:
- Prepare the couscous base by steaming as directed on the package;
- Add finely chopped tomatoes, stir;
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top of hot couscous.
This side dish is suitable for any type of meat.
Couscous with tomatoes and pine nuts on the side
Compound:
- couscous – 150 g;
- hot water – 0.25 l;
- pine nuts – 50 g;
- cherry tomatoes – 0.25 kg;
- lemon – 1 pc.;
- fresh mint - to taste;
- salt, ground black pepper - to taste;
- olive oil – 40 ml.
Cooking method:
- Dry the pine nuts in a frying pan without oil. Cool.
- Wash the tomatoes and dry with a napkin. Place in a greased baking dish. Mix the remaining oil with squeezed lemon juice and pour this mixture over the tomatoes.
- Place the pan with tomatoes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 10–15 minutes.
- Pour the couscous into a small saucepan, add salt, pepper, a teaspoon of finely grated zest, and stir.
- Pour boiling water over the couscous and leave to steep for 5–7 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the couscous along with their juice and oil, add pine nuts and finely chopped mint. Stir. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes.
A side dish of couscous made according to this recipe goes well with poultry and fish. It can also be served as a stand-alone snack.
How to cook couscous correctly?
Couscous is a cereal that even a child can cook or steam. There is nothing complicated in the technology for preparing this porridge:
- pour a glass of cereal into the pan;
- pour it with 2 glasses of boiled water (if you cook couscous, then fill it with 2 glasses of plain water);
- if you steam the cereal, cover it with a lid and let it brew for 5 minutes;
- if you cook, then after the water boils, turn off the stove after 2 minutes;
- Season the porridge to taste with salt and butter, and then you can enjoy it.
You can buy couscous at any store, or you can make it yourself from semolina, flour and water. What you need to do for this:
- Pour semolina into a flat plate. It should lie on the bottom of the plate in a thin layer.
- Sprinkle semolina with water and sprinkle with salt. Cover it with a thin layer of flour on top.
- From the resulting mixture you can roll small balls that should be dried.
Next, we will share with you a variety of recipes on how to cook dishes with couscous .
Couscous in a slow cooker as a side dish
Compound:
- couscous – 0.2 kg;
- water – 0.4 l;
- carrots – 100 g;
- onions – 100 g;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- butter – 60 g.
Cooking method:
- Peel the carrots and cut them into small cubes.
- Peel the onion and chop finely.
- Place oil in the multicooker bowl. Turn on the “Frying” program. If your appliance does not have such a program, you can use the “Baking” program.
- Add onions and carrots. Cook them for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the unit temporarily. Pour water into the vegetables. Add salt and pepper. Start the device by activating the “Soup” program for literally 10 minutes.
- Pour couscous into boiling water and stir the ingredients. Leave the food for 15–20 minutes in warm mode.
A delicate side dish made from couscous according to the given recipe will go well with any meat and poultry dish.
