Couscous recipes
This versatile fast food is an essential storecupboard staple - just soak it in hot water and in ten minutes you'll have an accompaniment to meat, fish, cooked vegetables or tagines, or the makings of a hearty salad. This granular type of pasta is made by sprinkling durum or hard wheat semolina grains with cold salted water and rolling and coating them in fine wheat flour. Couscous can be eaten hot or cold and is a staple ingredient in North Africa.
An easy veggie salad to serve at barbecues, or to batch cook for packed lunches.
Each serving provides 597 kcal, 21.5g protein, 70g carbohydrate (of which 13g sugars), 24g fat (of which 9g saturates), 10g fibre and 1.3g salt.
More couscous recipes
Buyer's guide
Traditional couscous can be bought in Britain, but needs pre-soaking and takes a long time to cook – it’s usually steamed. Quick-cook couscous is more readily available and more convenient, as it just needs rehydrating in boiled or simmering water. Ready-flavoured couscous can be bought in supermarkets, but you'll usually get a tastier result by adding your own ingredients to flavour plain couscous during cooking.
Preparation
Stir cooked vegetables such as roasted peppers and mushrooms into rehydrated couscous, or toss with chopped nuts and dried fruits and flavour with a pinch of your favourite spice. Or serve cooked couscous as a dessert, sweetened with ground cinnamon.