Cous-cous is one of the quicker grains to prepare. It takes 5 min to make and it goes with everything: raw vegetables, meats, fish, roasted vegetables, pulses, sauces and everything in between.
It is perfect for tasty full meal or a quick one and perfect for lunch-boxes. But most people don’t know how to prepare it, which is a shame, because it can be really tasty.
Simply adding a blend of Middle Eastern spices to the cous-cous can create an amazing base for you to create healthy and tasty grain salads and to accompany meat or fish meals.
SPICES ARE THE SECRET
When cooked in plain water, it can become bland and tasteless, but cooked with these wonderful Mediterranean spices
TURMERIC
Turmeric does not need any introduction. This bright yellow spice is what gives the colour to the cous-cous and also bring great anti-inflammatory benefits.
ZATAAR
A Middle Eastern blend of spices that include sesame seeds, sumac and oregano, perfectly matches the taste of the cous-cous which is in fact a typical Middle Eastern and North African staple. You can easily find it in a Middle Eastern shop or Waitrose.
SUMAC
Another typical Middle Easter spice, sumac is a red spice that bring a lemony taste to the many dishes and that gives a wonderful taste to the cous-cous. You can find it Waitrose.
ingredients
Serves two people
- 1 cup of cous-cous
- 1/2 teaspoon of Zataar
- 1/2 teaspoon of sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Sea salt to taste
method
Simply place the cous-cous in bowl, and place the spices in a glass. Add some boiling water from the kettle to the spices, mix and pour them into the bowl with cous-cous.
Cover with a lid and wait for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and sir the cous-cous with a fork adding the olive oil and the fresh lemon juice. Stir well, and your cous-cous is ready to be garnish with fresh or roasted vegetables for a salad as an accompaniment to meat & fish.
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This looks and sounds delicious! I was turned off from couscous because of how a family member prepared it a long time ago. I will have to try it again using this method! Thank you for the recipe.