A very tasty and healthy (albeit exotic) side dish is couscous. The recipes for cooking dishes are very different, including with the addition of numerous oriental spices and vegetables. Couscous can be part of salads and even desserts. Try to cook such a treat is definitely worth every housewife.

What is couscous and what is it made of?

A lot of readers are interested in the question about couscous - what kind of cereal is it? Recently, she gradually began to gain popularity among Russian hostesses. Couscous - at the same time the name of a particular cereal and side dish, which is prepared from it. Since ancient times, women have been producing such a product. They rolled up miniature balls of semolina particles, which were previously sprayed with warm oil or salted water. Only in the middle of the 20th century, the production of couscous began on an industrial scale. Today it is prepared, including from barley, rice, durum wheat.

Most often, couscous is chosen as a side dish. By the method of its preparation, it is similar to rice. And among the main advantages of such a product, culinary experts note its excellent compatibility with any meat, fish, mushrooms, cheeses, spices, dried fruits, fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, couscous is quickly soaked in sauce.

It should be noted that the product contains many vitamins and beneficial elements. Therefore, at least once such a side dish should be prepared for every gourmet. Surely he will linger in the cookbook for a long time.

How to cook couscous - a quick recipe for a side dish

As a side dish, without any additional ingredients, couscous is cooked very quickly and simply.To do this, take: 120 g of cereal and 2 times more water, 1 pc. onions and carrots, a pinch of salt and curry, 60 ml of soy sauce.

  1. Krupa gets enough sleep in a saucepan, salted and seasoned with curry. After thorough mixing, it must be poured with boiling water and left to swell under the lid for 15-17 minutes.
  2. While the couscous is soaking, you should take up vegetables - finely chop the white onion and grate the carrot on a coarse grater. Both products are fried in oil until soft.
  3. After adding soy sauce to the pan, the ingredients are stewed for another 7-10 minutes.
  4. It remains to add the swollen couscous to the vegetables, and mix the dish.

To serve a treat nicely to a table, you should first tamp it in a round bowl, and then gently tilt it onto a flat plate. From above, the resulting pea is decorated with finely chopped fresh herbs.

With vegetables and chicken

The discussed grits perfectly combine with poultry and vegetables. It is best to take chicken fillet (350 grams) for such a dish. And also: 230 g of cereal, 2 large tomatoes, 2 onions and carrots, a small bunch of fresh parsley, a pinch of ground cinnamon and salt, 450 ml of pure water.

  1. Couscous is poured with boiling water and infused for 5-7 minutes. You do not need to cook it.
  2. Vegetables are washed, peeled and cut in convenient ways.
  3. On any refined oil, the onions are first fried until transparent, after which carrots and tomatoes are added to it. Together, the ingredients are cooked over a maximum heat of 2-3 minutes with constant stirring. By this time, the tomato slices should already lose their shape.
  4. Vegetables are transferred to a separate bowl, and small pieces of chicken are fried in the oil left from them. Salt is added to the meat.
  5. Vegetables are returned to the pan, water is poured, cinnamon and salt are poured to taste. Together, the ingredients are boiled for a couple of minutes.
  6. It remains to pour the couscous into the container, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and leave it on the stove until the liquid is completely absorbed into the cereal.

Finely chopped parsley is added to the finished dish immediately before serving.

How to cook in Moroccan?

This version of the dish involves the use of a large number of vegetables and oriental spices. Among them: 2 pcs. 4 radishes, turnips, tomatoes and onions carrots and small zucchini, a pound of pumpkin, a bunch of coriander twigs, a pinch of ground ginger, turmeric, black pepper, salt. You will also need to take 750 g of any meat and cereals, 130 g of soaked chickpeas, oil, water.

  1. Large pieces of meat, coriander, salt, all spices and chopped onion rings are sent to the pan. A small amount of water is added to the products, and they are stewed for 12-15 minutes.
  2. Tomatoes scalded with boiling water and get rid of the skins.
  3. Couscous is poured into a wide plate, poured with vegetable oil and frayed with this liquid ingredient.
  4. 1 tablespoon is added to half a liter of warm water. coarse salt. The latter should dissolve well in a liquid.
  5. Sprinkled cereals should be gradually watered with salt water, and grind the couscous (as is the case with oil). It should be completely saturated with liquid.
  6. Steamed chickpeas goes to a pot of meat. Water is added to the products.
  7. Cereals soaked in salt water are steamed. Then it crumbles again on the table, gets rid of lumps and sprinkles with warm liquid. The procedure is repeated three times. After each steaming, the volume of cereals will increase.
  8. All vegetables, chopped and peeled in large pieces, are sent to a pot of meat with chickpeas. Salt is added to the tank to taste, and a new portion of water is poured. Together, the ingredients are cooked until the vegetables are ready.
  9. Steamed three times couscous is poured onto a wide plate. Pour over the whole surface with sauce from the pan. After that, in the middle of the dish, meat is laid directly on the cereal, and pieces of vegetables are placed on the edges.

Such a treat will become a full lunch or dinner.

Couscous Salad

The discussed cereal goes well with fresh vegetables in salads.For example, with cucumbers (3 pcs.) And sweet red pepper (1 pc.). In addition to vegetables, you need to take: 2 branches of fresh basil and the same amount of green cilantro, 80 g of couscous, 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, olive oil.

  1. Sweet peppers and fresh cucumbers are cut into small cubes. The first vegetable can also be pickled.
  2. Greens finely chopped with a sharp knife.
  3. Couscous is poured with boiling water for 15 minutes, after which a couple of teaspoons of oil is added to it.
  4. All products are laid out in a deep bowl, salted, watered with a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar. At the very end, a small amount of olive oil is sent to them.

The food is served chilled.

In spanish

A dish prepared according to a traditional Spanish recipe always includes olives. Instead of water, it is best for him to take beef broth (450 ml). You will also need to use: 1 bell pepper, 1 tbsp. cereals, 470 g of ground beef, half a white onion, 2 garlic cloves, half a glass of olives, a pinch of salt, ground caraway seeds and dried thyme leaves.

  1. A glass of water is brought to a boil, after which the fire immediately turns off, and couscous is sent to the pan.
  2. Stuffing is fried in oil until half cooked. In the process, you need to cut it into small pieces with a spoon.
  3. Chopped onions, garlic, salt and all seasonings are sent to the meat pan. The ingredients are fried together for a couple of minutes.
  4. Beef broth is poured into the container with meat and vegetables, and olives cut into thin slices are poured. After about 5 minutes, cubes of bell pepper are added. Stew the mass until the amount of broth in the pan decreases by about 2 times.
  5. Soaked couscous is transferred to a deep bowl and slightly loosened with a fork. Top it is poured with a mixture of ingredients from the pan.

Before serving, the dish should be infused for 10 minutes, so that the cereal has time to soak well in hot sauce.

Pork couscous - step by step recipe

If the cook does not bother with the calorie content of the dish, then he can prepare a hearty treat of couscous with pork and tomato juice. For this you will need to use: 350 g of meat (pulp), 2 small onions, 1 tbsp. cereals and the same amount of water, 350 ml of tomato juice, oil, salt, spices.

  1. Onions are cut into small cubes and fried in butter until soft.
  2. Thin strips of pork are sent to the vegetable. Together, the products are cooked until a delicious crust appears on the meat.
  3. Tomato juice is poured into the container, the mass is salted, peppered, covered with a lid and brought to a boil.
  4. Then you can reduce the fire, and simmer the future gravy over low heat for 25 minutes.
  5. A pinch of salt is sent to the couscous, after which the product is poured with boiling water and covered with a lid.
  6. After 5 minutes, the cereal loosens with a fork and spills out into the pan with prepared meat.
  7. After mixing, the dish can be removed from the heat.

The treat is served with fresh or pickled vegetables.

Side dish with baked tomatoes

It is best to take cherry tomatoes for such a dish. In addition to miniature tomatoes (2 tbsp.), You will need to use: 2/3 cup cereals, 60 g fried pine nuts, lemon peel and its juice, 60 ml of olive oil, a small bunch of fresh mint, salt, pepper. The following describes in detail how such a couscous with vegetables is prepared.

  1. Tomatoes are folded in one layer into any heat-resistant form, poured with a tablespoon of olive oil and sent to a well-heated oven until softened.
  2. Groats are poured with boiling water and left for 8 minutes.
  3. Tomatoes are sent to the container with the swollen couscous (together with the juice formed during baking). There are added nuts, remaining oil, finely chopped mint, lemon peel and juice, salt, any selected seasonings.

After stirring, the dish is immediately served on the table.

A delicious and easy recipe for a slow cooker

It is very simple to cook couscous in a slow cooker. The device must have the “Soup” mode. In addition to cereals (1 multi-glass), you need to take: 2 times more water, 1 pc.onions and carrots, 70 g butter, a pinch of salt.

  1. Onions and carrots after chopping are cooked in the "Frying" mode in butter until soft.
  2. Salt is poured into the container, water is poured in and the “Soup” program is activated.
  3. Immediately after boiling the liquid, you can add couscous to the bowl, switch the device to the “Heating” mode for 17 minutes and close the lid.
  4. After the specified time, the treat will be completely ready.

The dish is served warm with Korean style appetizers.

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