(upbeat music)
- Couscous is an essential Mediterranean ingredient.
I have it in my pantry.
I use it all the time.
And today I'm gonna show you to how cook couscous
perfectly every time,
and how to jazz it up with some fun flavors.
What's up, guys?
I'm Suzy with TheMediterraneanDish.com.
I'm all about easy, wholesome recipes
with big Mediterranean flavors.
Today we are going to talk couscous.
Couscouscous.
Couscous.
First off, there are more than one kinds of couscous.
I use two of them most often.
This instant couscous,
which is the Moroccan that most of us know about,
and it's super quick-cooking,
and it's actually already steamed for us,
so all you need is just boiling some liquid
and kinda throwing the couscous in
and letting it cook.
The other kind is a pearl couscous that I use most often,
and it's more like a pasta.
And I have used it actually earlier
in a pearl couscous salad.
So go back to that video
for Mediterranean pearl couscous salad,
and you'll see exactly how this one cooks.
But today, we are going to work
with the Moroccan instant couscous right here, you guys.
So let's take a closer look at it.
It is super fine, as you see.
Both of these items, both of these couscous options
are available on TheMediterraneanDish.com.
Just hit the Shop tab when you get there
if it's not available in your area.
And you will love this ingredient.
I use it often, you guys, in place of rice or pasta,
because it's just super quick cooking.
It takes like 10 minutes or less.
So let me show you how that goes.
One of my tips is use broth as much as possible
in making couscous because that already infuses it
with great flavor.
So to make this couscous,
the ratio of couscous to liquid to one to one.
So just remember that, you guys.
The first thing that we need to do is boil our liquid.
So I'm using a bit of a larger pot,
because once I add the couscous and it starts cooking,
it's going to expand, so I need that room for it.
I'm using vegetable broth that's low sodium.
A little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
The second tip for this recipe is
I like to toast my couscous in the pan
with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
Get some color to it.
Get some nuttiness to it.
My olive oil is nice and warm.
I'm just gonna dump my couscous right in here
and just kinda stir it around
until I see that it's getting the color that I want.
I'm not looking for it to brown or anything like that,
just kind of adding a little bit of color.
This is what you're looking for:
super subtle golden brown color, nice and toasty.
That's all.
That's all I need.
Don't wanna spend too much time on this baby
because my liquid has boiled.
All I need to do now is quickly stir in my couscous.
Turn this off immediately.
So just make sure that couscous is all nice and stirred in
and cover.
Do not disturb your couscous.
Just let it sit five to 10 minutes
until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
If you lift this lid earlier
and you still see that it's too liquidy or whatever,
then leave it alone.
Leave it alone, until it's ready.
That's all.
Oh yes.
This is perfection, you guys.
This is what you want your couscous to look like.
There's not a drop of liquid left in there.
It has been absorbed.
Make sure you fluff it up with a fork.
So grab just a dinner fork and just fluff it up.
This is your chance to taste and adjust seasoning.
This is fine to serve plain,
but if you want to add something to it,
then start with a pinch of salt,
maybe a little bit of any spice you like.
I'm gonna use cumin today.
I'm just feeling the cumin.
So I'm just gonna eyeball it.
If you guys are with me and you want to add more flavor,
I sauteed a little bit of garlic, so that's going in.
I always feel like fresh herbs add a ton more flavor
and just color and just beauty,
so I'm going to do a little bit of parsley.
And while I have some dill, let's get some of that too.
Just a rough chop.
Add a little bit of dill.
And I have some green onions, or scallions.
Again, just a little bit.
Now give everything a nice big toss.
And this is it.
How simple is it, you guys,
to make couscous that's perfectly fluffy
and add to it whatever flavors you like?
Easiest, easiest ever side dish.
Great to use with your stews and anything else.
Really, it's super versatile.
Grab the recipe for how to make couscous
on TheMediterraneanDish.com.
If you're brand-new here,
make sure you hit that Subscribe button
and follow along for brand-new videos every single week.
I will see you later.
Ciao.
(upbeat music)