What to do with cous cous?

suki1964

I always make couscous up with a chicken stock pot ( about half a one)

I serve it hot along with anything that has a pile of gravy or sauce as I'm not a spud fan

missbiggles1

suki1964 wrote: »

I always make couscous up with a chicken stock pot ( about half a one)

I serve it hot along with anything that has a pile of gravy or sauce as I'm not a spud fan

I do think lots of people are talking about cous cous as a salad rather than as the more normal alternative to rice with hot food with a liquid.

suki1964

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I do think lots of people are talking about cous cous as a salad rather than as the more normal alternative to rice with hot food with a liquid.

I like it with orange and honey dressing with sultanas and chickpeas in it as well.

It really does need stronger flavours to bring it to life when eating cold

Slowly57

WantToBeSE wrote: »

I must be in the minority..i love cous cous!

I often make it, cool it down and add to a big salad.

Or serve it warm with roasted veggies, or instead of rice with a curry.

Another cous cous fan here too - stuffed into peppers or on top of big breakfast mushrooms with grated cheese and a bit of garlic and butter mmmmm

jackyann

I don't recognise quite a few of these descriptions!

Use cous-cous as an alternative to rice. Measure by volume, 50-75 ml per person. Add one and a half times the volume of hot stock. Stand in a warm place for 10-15 minutes, raking through a few times with a fork to let the grains absorb the stock. Then add a teaspoon per person of oil or butter, and a squeeze of lemon. Rake and leave in a warm place.
Use as is, or, for a salad, leave to cool. My favourite is with cold roast vegetables,.
It can be used as an alternative to bulgur wheat in the classic tabbouleh.

I love it, but the secret is enough fluid to swell the grains and enough time to stand.

Hope this helps

loocyloo

I make a spicy chicken couscous dish ( a bit like biryani bit not rice! )


gently fry some onions ( and mushrooms as I can't cook anything without both of these! ) and then some chopped raw chicken. ( but I also use left over roast chicken, or other meats! ) stir round until all cooked and browned.


whilst that is happening prepare some couscous in a bowl ( for every 3 oz of dry couscous, pour over 4 fluid oz of boiling water/veg/chicken stock ( I think that's for 1 serving) and put a lid/plate on the top whilst it absorbs the liquid.


stir a TBLSP or 2 of a curry paste ( I tend to use pataks balti ) into the chicken and onions. let it cook for a minute or 2. add the couscous ( once all water absorbed ) and stir it round. add a handful or 2 of raisins and/or chopped apricots, and a an oz or so of ground almonds.


ready to eat :0)


sometimes I add sweetcorn and/or peas. I find it a very forgiving recipe! a friend passed it on, and I'm not really sure of all the quantities ( except for couscous ) as I make it a bit differently every time!


hot couscous is also nice with meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, or with steamed salmon and a lemon dressing.

kerri_gt

Thanks for the suggestions everyone - its not so much it being bland I don't like - I can quite happily scoff a bowl of rice or pasta just plain - it's the kind of 'in between' texture where your brain questions 'what is this? do I just swallow or should I chew' :rotfl: I'm also not a massive fan of fruity sweet dishes as 'mains' like a lot of tagines are (saying that the Hairy Bikers did a fab looking one with chicken last week)

I've never really thought about treating it as a thing instead of rice thought / having it as a hot accompaniment. I quite like the idea of having it with a saucy curry

suki1964 I love spuds but quite like the idea of having it with gravy - might try that too.

Now oddly enough, after all the talk of cous cous I ended up getting a giant cous cous and lentil salad in M&S today - I like that cous cous though as it's bigger (hence the 'giant' bit).

Spicy and saucy seems the way to go for me. Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

JIL

Mix a bit into your Sunday sage and onion stuffing week by week until it's gone, you won't notice it.

I really like it, lovely with a tagine. Also like it cold with cucumber, tomatoes feta and red onions.

jackyann

Just going slightly off topic - tagines can be made all sorts of ways. Whilst a lot of Moroccan cooking includes fruit with savoury dishes, it's fine without. It's a bit like saying 'I don't like stew because I don't like carrots' in English cookery.

VfM4meplse

suki1964 wrote: »

I like it with orange and honey dressing with sultanas and chickpeas in it

I like this idea, totally store cupboard.