Couscous is small balls made from very finely ground cereals, most often wheat. This dish is common in the East, but more often our compatriots include dishes from this product in their daily diet. Couscous retains the beneficial properties of the cereal from which it was made, making the food from it nourishing and nutritious. But unlike our usual porridge, it is prepared very quickly and easily, because it does not even need to be cooked. If you learn how to cook couscous as a side dish, you can indulge your loved ones with tasty and nutritious lunches and dinners, preparing them in a hurry. After all, even in the train, at work or in the country, being in cramped conditions and not possessing a large supply of time, the couscous can be turned into an appetizing side dish or even a full dish.
Cooking Features
Cooking a side dish of couscous will not be a difficult task, even for an inexperienced chef. This cereal is cooked quickly, and to get a tasty meal from it you only need to prepare an appetizing dressing of vegetables or other ingredients. However, if you are not familiar with the basic principles of cooking couscous, you can not get the result that the chef counts on. Before proceeding to the choice of a suitable recipe, it is worth getting acquainted with the general principles of cooking dishes from this unusual cereal.
- Couscous is not always the same, its properties may depend on what kind of cereal it is made of. Usually for its preparation use twice as much boiling water as the cereals, and insist it only 5-10 minutes. But if the product is made not from semolina, but from another cereal, the ratio of couscous and liquid, as well as the time of its swelling, may be different. To avoid mistakes, you must adhere to the recommendations of the manufacturer, which is easy to find on the product packaging.
- Couscous is not boiled, but only poured boiling water and insist a certain time. After the cereal swells, it should be loosened with a fork, and only then be combined with other ingredients or brought to the table.
- When preparing a side dish of couscous, you need to know that the cereal swells up greatly, increasing significantly in volume. From 75 g couscous and 150 ml of water, about 300-350 ml of ready-to-eat food is obtained (weighing about 220 g), for a portion this is more than enough.
- To correctly determine the optimal ratio of ingredients, it is sometimes necessary to know not only the volume, but also the weight of the product. With no scales, couscous can be measured with a glass or spoon. In a teaspoon, about 7 g of cereal is placed, in a dining room - about 25 g, in a 200 ml beaker - 220 g.
- When cooking couscous as a side dish, it is often flavored with butter or sauce, mixed with fried, stewed and boiled vegetables. By the time the vegetables are combined with couscous, they should be made ready.
Couscous as a side dish is almost universal. It fits best with meat and poultry dishes, but if it is cooked with spices and vegetables that go well with fish, then it can also be served with a fish dish.
The easiest recipe for cooking couscous garnish
Composition:
- couscous - 0, 25 kg;
- water - 0, 4 l;
- salt, butter - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Measure out the right amount of couscous, put it in a small saucepan. Pickle.
- In a kettle or other saucepan, boil water, cover it with couscous.
- Cover the pot with the cereal lid. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Add melted butter, loosen the food. Try to taste it, add dosolite if necessary, mix again.
The couscous prepared according to this recipe fits almost any dish as a garnish. Worst of all, it goes well with fish, best of all with meat.
Couscous garnish on vegetable broth
Composition:
- couscous - 0.22 kg;
- water - 1 l;
- onions - 150-180 g;
- carrots - 160-200 g;
- bay leaf - 1 pc .;
- salt, black pepper - to taste;
- refined vegetable oil - 20 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Peel the onions and carrots. Cutting vegetables is not necessary.
- Put the vegetables in the pan, cover with clean water. Add salt and spices to them. Pour in a spoonful of vegetable oil.
- Place the pan on the stove. On medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the intensity of the flame and cook the vegetables until ready.
- Strain the broth.
- Put couscous in a bowl or other container, cover with hot broth in the amount of 0, 4 l. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Spread the finished couscous in plates with a cooking ring, garnish with boiled carrot slices. It remains to put next to the main dish and serve food to the table.
Couscous garnish with carrots, onions and curry
Composition:
- couscous - 0, 2 kg;
- carrots - 150 g;
- onions - 150 g;
- water - 0, 4 l;
- soy sauce - 60-80 ml;
- refined vegetable oil - 40 ml;
- curry seasoning - 5-10 g.
Method of preparation:
- Place the couscous in a suitable-sized container, taking into account that it will greatly increase in volume after adding boiling water to it. Pour curry powder to the grits, mix well, so that the seasoning is distributed evenly.
- Boil water, mix it with soy sauce. Fill the mixture with couscous.
- Cover the container with the croup with a lid and leave it to swell.
- Remove the husks from the onion, cut it into small pieces.
- Scrape, wash carrots. Drain it with a napkin, chop it on a coarse grater.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Put onions in it, lightly browned.
- Add carrots to onions. Fry the vegetables until they are soft.
- Loosen the swollen couscous and shift it to the vegetables. Stir. Let the dish warm for a minute and remove the pan from the heat.
Couscous in this recipe is juicy and fragrant. It will be a good addition to pork and poultry dishes.
Couscous with tomatoes and pine nuts to garnish
Composition:
- 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, black pepper - to taste;
- olive oil - 40 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Dry the pine nuts in a pan without oil. Cool it down.
- Wash tomatoes, dry with a napkin. Fold in a greased baking dish. The remaining oil mix with squeezed lemon juice, pour this mixture of tomatoes.
- Place the form with the tomatoes in an oven heated to 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the couscous in a small saucepan, add salt, pepper, a teaspoon of finely grated zest, stir.
- Fill the couscous with boiling water, leave to infuse for 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the couscous to the tomatoes along with the juice and butter that came out of them, add the pine nuts and finely chopped mint. Stir. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes.
A side dish of couscous made according to this recipe is suitable for poultry meat and fish. It can also be served as an independent snack.
Couscous with onions, garlic and herbs for garnish
Composition:
- couscous - 150 g;
- water - 0, 3 l;
- fresh parsley - 20 g;
- garlic - 1 clove;
- onions - 80 g;
- refined vegetable oil - 20 ml;
- dried Italian herbs - 5 g;
- salt, black pepper powder - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Finely chop the garlic with a knife.
- Peel and finely chop the onion.
- Wash, dry, and chop the parsley.
- Prepare the couscous by mixing it with salt, pepper and dried herbs.
- Boil the water.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, put onion and garlic in it, and fry them until the onions are translucent.
- Pour couscous to vegetables, pour boiling water over it.
- Remove the pan from the stove, cover with a lid. Wait 3 minutes.
- Stir the contents of the pan, adding the parsley. Wait a few more minutes. Couscous at this time, keep under cover as it cools quickly.
The garnish prepared according to this recipe will suit any kind of meat, as well as chicken, turkey.
Couscous in a multicooker garnish
Composition:
- couscous - 0, 2 kg;
- water - 0, 4 l;
- carrots - 100 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- butter - 60 g.
Method of preparation:
- Carrots, peeled, cut into small cubes.
- Peel and chop the onion.
- Put oil in the multicooker bowl. Turn on the “Frying” program. If there is no such program in your device, you can use the Baking program.
- Add onions and carrots. Cook them for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the unit temporarily. Pour water over the vegetables. Add salt and pepper. Start the device by activating the “Soup” program for literally 10 minutes.
- Pour couscous into boiling water, mix products. Leave the dish for 15-20 minutes in the heating mode.
A gentle side dish made from couscous according to the above recipe will suit any meat and poultry dish.
A side dish of frozen vegetables and couscous
Composition:
- couscous - 0.22 kg;
- water - 0, 4 l;
- refined vegetable oil - 40 ml;
- frozen vegetable mix (best Mexican) - 0, 4 kg;
- salt, spices - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan, pour frozen vegetable mixture into it. Fry the vegetables for 5-7 minutes.
- Add water in the amount indicated in the recipe, as well as salt and spices.
- After boiling water in a frying pan, stew vegetables in it for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Put couscous into it. Stir. Cover the pan with a lid and leave for 10 minutes.
The garnish made according to this recipe looks bright and appetizing. It is so tasty and satisfying that it can be served as an independent dish.
Couscous is good because it cooks quickly, goes well with any kinds of meat and vegetables. It is ideal for preparing garnish for meat dishes and snacks from poultry. Some recipes allow you to turn couscous into a side dish for fish.
