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bowl of couscous being presented by two hands
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Couscous

How to cook couscous for the fluffiest, most perfect texture imaginable!
Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time17 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Moroccan
Keyword: couscous
Servings: 2
Calories: 375kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup couscous regular/small-grain, not pearl
  • 1 cup water or stock
  • 1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 212F/100C, steam setting (100% humidity).
  • Put the couscous into a shallow stainless steel pan and add the water or stock. Place the pan into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
    1 cup couscous, 1 cup water
  • At the end of cooking, remove the pan from the oven and add the butter or oil. Fluff well with a fork, mixing in the butter/oil to coat the grains.
    1 Tablespoon butter
  • Use the couscous immediately as a side dish to a tagine, casserole or stew, or allow it to cool and use in a salad. Cold couscous will keep, covered in the fridge, for a few days.

Video

Notes

  1. If you'd like to cook larger grained couscous varieties by this method you absolutely can. Use 1 part couscous to 1 1/2 parts liquid in this case, and allow around 20 minutes steaming time, or until the couscous is chewy all the way through.
  2. Traditionally, Moroccan couscous has Smen, a fermented butter, added to give it an earthy, savory, cheesy flavor. It’s not common in Western countries so I’ve specified regular butter or olive oil instead. I was taught by a Moroccan cook that you can add a teaspoon or two of crumbled blue cheese with the regular butter if you want to approximate a similar taste to the Smen; it might sound strange but it really does make the couscous taste amazing.

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg