Couscous, a star ingredient of many delicious Middle Eastern dishes, is famous for its subtle, almost sweet taste and versatility in cooking. It is a great base for salads, you can use it for stuffing peppers or mushrooms, even for a delightful pudding (recipe coming soon).
However, if you do not cook it properly, instead of being fluffy, couscous can turn into a sticky, unattractive mass. It has happened to me and trust me, the texture plays a major part in this wheat or barley-based pasta (yes, couscous is a pasta!)
So, how to cook couscous and get the desired structure?
There are numerous instructions to properly prepare couscous. And when I talk about couscous, I am referring to Morrocan type, the smallest kind, very prone to sticking as the grains are really tiny.
All of these instructions bore me, as once upon a time, I have stumbled upon the ultimate instructions. And it says the following:
- To cook couscous, you need to use twice as much water than couscous. This means, if you have 200 gr of couscous, you need 400 ml of water
- Instead of steam-cooking and bothering with similar actions, just pour boiling water over the couscous. Let it sit for exactly 10 minutes in a lid-covered bowl. I mean, exactly 10! Use a timer.
- After 10 mins, uncover the couscous, give it a stir, and spread on a big plate. That’s it!
Now that you have mastered the perfect, simplest way to prepare fluffy instead of sticky couscous, what will you cook? I have a great idea. Take a look:
