Couscous – what is it, cooking recipes with photos. The benefits of couscous

The content of the article

• What is couscous
• How to cook couscous
• Couscous Recipes
• Couscous with Chicken
• Couscous with vegetables
• Couscous Salad
• Couscous in a slow cooker
• Couscous in milk

Under this name lies just cereals obtained from durum wheat grains. Outwardly, it is a bit like pearl barley, but in composition it has something in common with rice. Like other cereals, couscous is used as a side dish for vegetables or meat. Although often even fruit is cooked with it. From the instructions in the photo below, you will find out what couscous is eaten with and what is the use of it.

What is couscous

You also do not know about couscous – what kind of product is it? Initially, millet had this name. From this raw material couscous was prepared. Then, in the production of steel, wheat of soft and hard varieties was gradually used. According to the production technology, bulgur groats are similar. Only in it wheat grains retain the shell with the germ. For couscous, other raw materials were gradually used. Cooking cereals is not difficult.

What are couscous made of today? For the production of this cereal take semolina, which is then sprayed with water. The result is small grains. Then they are sprinkled with wheat flour, then again with semolina, and then sieved through a sieve. So the smallest particles are removed. Only grains with a diameter of 1 to 2 mm remain. In addition to semolina, barley, millet, millet or rice are also used..

What is couscous good for? The product is included in the diet for diabetes. Although you should not abuse it either, otherwise the cereal will only do harm, because it affects the level of glucose. Otherwise, eating such a product, you can notice an improvement in the condition of hair and skin, joints, and even strengthening immunity. Croup is not quite suitable for weight loss, because it has a high energy value. Calorie content is 376 kcal per 100 g. Although if you eat cereal in the morning, you can get enough for the whole day. The number of calories varies depending on additional ingredients..

How to cook couscous

There are many options for making a side dish or a standalone couscous dish. In traditional Arabic recipes, cereals are steamed in an earthenware vessel. At home, use a slow cooker, pan, electric or ordinary double boiler. In the latter case, the instruction on how to cook couscous includes the following steps:

1. Slightly spray the cereal with vegetable oil, rub it with your hands, adding a little water.
2. Down a double boiler pour water or vegetable or meat broth. Next put on fire.
3. Croup is moved to the upper part of the device and set it on the lower.
4. Next, they cook for a couple of minutes without a lid from the moment of boiling water.
5. At the end, they transfer it to another container, loosen it with a fork, spray it with water.

Couscous Recipes

In almost all recipes, this unusual cereal is a side dish. It goes well with seafood, meat, vegetables and fish. In addition to second courses, such cereal is also suitable for sweets. You can add grapes, honey, sugar, nuts or dried fruits to it. Such a delicacy even has a special name – “masfuf”. Soups are also seasoned with this cereal or added to salads..

Couscous with Chicken

One of the traditional dishes in Tunisia or Morocco is couscous with chicken and vegetables. Almost any tourist who visited these countries tried a similar dish. It resembles an ordinary chicken with rice, but there are still some taste differences. In addition, a dish with couscous is much more satisfying and nutritious. Instructions on how to cook such a treat are presented in the recipe with the photo below.

Ingredients:

• carrots – 1 pc.;
• chickpeas – 0.5 tbsp .;
• celery, parsley root – 50 g;
• water – 4 tbsp .;
• chicken legs – 400 g;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• couscous – 1 tbsp .;
• pepper, salt, bay leaf – to taste;
• butter – 60 g.

Cooking method:

1. Pre-soak chickpeas, leave overnight.
2. Boil the chicken by placing it in cold water. After boiling, reduce heat and simmer for half an hour..
3. Rinse carrots with herbs, cut into small cubes, send to chicken.
4. Salt, season with pepper and bay leaf. Stew for another 10 minutes.
5. Next, throw the chickpeas. Cook for an hour until cooked.
6. Then pour the broth into a separate container, set aside bay leaf and chicken, and fry the vegetables in butter with chopped onions.
7. Pour the broth into the pan, add pepper and salt, after boiling, introduce couscous, and then immediately remove from heat and mix.
8. Next, put it on the stove again, darken by adding a little butter. When it melts, put the cereal on a plate.
9. Place the vegetable frying on top, and then chicken.

Couscous with vegetables

One of the classic recipes is couscous with vegetables. This dish is served in many restaurants. It is particularly nutritious, but it is vegetarian, because meat is not included in the list of products. With such cereals, deliciously different vegetables are obtained – eggplant, pumpkin, tomatoes, bell pepper. Cooking does not take much time, even if you are a beginner.

Ingredients:

• onions, zucchini, bell pepper – 1 pc.;
• couscous – 150 g;
• water – 250 ml;
• pumpkin pulp – 200 g;
• vegetable oil – 3 tbsp .;
• spices, salt – to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse vegetables, peel seeds and tails, then chop in cubes.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Fry vegetables on it.
3. Take a saucepan, boil water, lightly salting and adding 1 tbsp. oils. Steal the cereal with it, leave it under the lid for 10 minutes.
4. Combine vegetables with couscous, mix.

Couscous Salad

No less appetizing and satisfying is a salad with couscous. The peculiarity of the dish is that it can be served not only cold. A warm appetizer is even more interesting. In addition, it can be an excellent side dish for meat. Although, as an independent snack, such a salad is also used. This cereal is obtained deliciously with many vegetables. The recipe with the photo below shows a more successful combination.

Ingredients:

• meat or vegetable broth – 150 ml;
• cilantro or parsley – 2 bunches;
• couscous – 100 g;
• olive oil – 50 ml;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• eggplant – 2 pcs.;
• spices, vinegar, salt – to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Boil the broth, pour cereal over them, leave to brew.
2. Wash the eggplants, peel them, cut into slices, then fry in oil.
3. Chop the garlic, combine with chopped parsley or cilantro, season them with spices, vinegar and salt, grind well.
4. Mix eggplant with steamed cereals, season with garlic sauce.

Couscous in a slow cooker

Any dish becomes simple if you use a slow cooker for cooking. Redmond, Philips, Polaris – no matter what brand of device, because in each there is a suitable program. This can be the mode of “Stewing”, “Multi-cook”, “Baking”. Any program will help to cook couscous in a slow cooker. This time the dish will be sweet with the addition of dried fruits.

Ingredients:

• carrots – 1 pc.;
• dry couscous – 200 g;
• water – 2 tbsp .;
• butter – 50 g;
• raisins – 50 g;
• prunes – 50 g;
• dried apricots – 50 g.

Cooking method:

1. Place oil on the bottom of the multi-cooker bowl, melt the product using the “Baking” mode.
2. Next, grind the carrots, fry them for a quarter of an hour, then introduce the soaked dried fruits, mix.
3. Then pour the cereal, pour water.
4. To languish under the lid by setting the timer for 20 minutes.
5. Serve with a slice of butter.

Couscous in milk

A traditional dish of any cereal is porridge. It is tasty in milk. Porridge from couscous is cooked almost the same as semolina. The only condition is to observe the proportions of cereals and milk. They can be changed depending on the desired density of porridge. If you want to get not too liquid, then bark her a little insist. Sugar with butter is also added to taste..

Ingredients:

• milk – 1.25 l;
• butter, sugar, salt – to taste;
• couscous – 1 tbsp.

Cooking method:

1. Boil milk, add salt, sugar, a little butter.
2. Then pour the cereal, stir. After boiling, leave the milk porridge under the lid for 10 minutes.
3. Mix again.