Talk couscous to me!

[missy1978]

I have recently stopped buying ready made couscous and started buying big bags of plain couscous, partially because of the money saving and partially because I fancied being experimental and trying new flavours!

When I'm cooking it just for me, my basic recipe is 1/2 cup of couscous to 3/4 cup water. Boil the water, add the couscous and cook until water has been absorbed. Leave to stand for five minutes then separate grains with a fork.

So far I have tried -

Mushroom and garlic (fried up mushroom, onion garlic and parsley before adding water and couscous)

Spicy chickpea (added chickpeas, fresh coriander, dried coriander, dried cumin and chopped jalapeños to cooked couscous)

Coconut couscous (added 6g (2 syns worth) grated creamed coconut, fresh coriander and chopped jalapeños to the boiling water before adding the couscous).

Any more ideas? How do you do your couscous?

 

[metrognome]

i just tip the couscous in a bowl and cover with boiling water with a stock cube in it cover and leave for 5 mins, as im not a vegetarian i add chopped chicken with onions cucumber sweetcorn and red grapes and its lovely

 

[PatchworkPuss]

Cous cous recipes - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Loads of ideas here

 

[missy1978]

i just tip the couscous in a bowl and cover with boiling water with a stock cube in it cover and leave for 5 mins, as im not a vegetarian i add chopped chicken with onions cucumber sweetcorn and red grapes and its lovely

I've done it that way before - works really well at work when I've no hob hehe

Forgot to mention about the stock cube, I always use one too and a few spices (depending on what flavour I am going for).

 

[missy1978]

Cous cous recipes - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Loads of ideas here

Thanks very much

I do want a good 'ol chat about cooking to go with the ideas though, much more fun than just looking at recipes. There's a human element to made up recipes that I just love!

Keep the ideas coming everyone x

 

[becki2009]

Tuna cous cous!

 

[missy1978]

Tuna cous cous!

A great one for meat eaters! I used to love tuna couscous with sweetcorn and parsley before I was a veggie

 

[lal235]

I do roasted veg cous cous with prawns! Roast onions, peppers, courgettes using fry light. I add a stock cube to the cous cous to add flavour then mis it all together! It's yummy! I've also tried adding chilli which is also good!

 

[Skulldilocks]

I like to cook off the Quorn sticky chilli fillets and mix them into some cous cous with some roasted veg and some paprika

Also homemade falafels (The recipe is on the SW website) with homemade salsa or chopped toms, onion and chilli x

 

[CEB]

Add boiling water, vanilla extract and sweetener to cous cous. Leave to stand for 5 mins. Stir in some syn free yoghurt (plain or flavoured) and add some frozen raspberries, mix and eat!

Don't knock it til you've tried it!!!

 

[missy1978]

Add boiling water, vanilla extract and sweetener to cous cous. Leave to stand for 5 mins. Stir in some syn free yoghurt (plain or flavoured) and add some frozen raspberries, mix and eat!

Don't knock it til you've tried it!!!

Sounds great! I do love sweet couscous, gonna try adapting one of the lovely recipes I have found for it one day. I reckon cook the couscous with warmed up HEXA milk, add a few syns worth of raisins and a HEXB of nuts and some sweetener instead of icing sugar - that's about as close as I think I will manage to proper sweet couscous

 

[missy1978]

I like to cook off the Quorn sticky chilli fillets and mix them into some cous cous with some roasted veg and some paprika

Also homemade falafels (The recipe is on the SW website) with homemade salsa or chopped toms, onion and chilli x

I did falafels the other day (I have a recipe that I have come up with from trying quite a few different ones now) and served them with salad and spicy coconut couscous. Yum! x

 

[missy1978]

I finally got round to doing sweet couscous today and it's lovely! Cooked it in milk with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp brown sugar (0.5 syn) a tsp of sweetener, a tiny splash of vanilla extract and 25g raisins (3.5 syns). Next time I do it I will add chopped roasted almonds and use them as my HEXB, should make the recipe a bit more traditional as well

 

[Rochelle1]

i bought a bag of cous cous before, i tried it with peppers, onions and mushrooms and it was just bland!! will keep an eye on this to see your ideas.

also, another weird new thing is bulgar wheat. i bought a bag of that too, it is still unopened lol

xx

 

[missy1978]

It can be dead bland - I've found the only way to do it is go overboard with flavours and it really does work! Tonnes of chilli and garlic helps

Not tried using bulgar wheat yet, experimenting with pearl barley though. Orzotto is cooking as we speak! x

 

[*EB*]

Have you tried giant couscous...I love it cooked in a chicken stock cube.

 

[missy1978]

Have you tried giant couscous...I love it cooked in a chicken stock cube.

Ooooh giant couscous sounds ace - will def be trying that. I always cook my couscous in stock, so much nicer than just plain water

 

[hells2012sw]

Ooooh giant couscous sounds ace - will def be trying that. I always cook my couscous in stock, so much nicer than just plain water

I have some giant cous cous in, however it always reminds me of polystyrene balls!

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

 

[*EB*]

I have some giant cous cous in, however it always reminds me of polystyrene balls!

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

No way - I love it!!!! Hah x

 

[bilsat]

Another use for Couscous...........

Pete’s Spicy Scotch Eggs

Makes 4

Ingredients

1 egg for dipping (ff)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp English mustard powder
1 tbsp hot paprika
4 small eggs (ff)
4 Sainsbury’s “Be good to yourself” extra lean Cumberland sausages (0.5 syn per sausage)
6 tbsp Couscous (ff)
Sprinkle of garlic salt

Method

Bring water to a boil with the eggs in; reduce the heat to a simmer for 6 mins. Remove and run under cold water until the eggs are cool, set aside.
De-skin the sausages and mix in a bowl with garlic salt, parsley, mustard, basil & paprika.
Lay out a piece of Clingfilm and place the meat on it, cover with a second piece of film and using a roller reduce to a thickness of about 4-5 mm.
Take the shells of the eggs, remove the top piece of film and roll one egg on the meat until it is covered, cut from the rest of the meat, wet your hands and roll the egg in your hand until it’s all covered & smooth, set aside until all are done.
In a bowl tip couscous and in another one egg beaten with a whisk. Take one scotch egg and dip into the egg mix, then the couscous then set to one side on a plate, when completed place all the eggs into the fridge for 30 mins to firm up.
Heat the oven to 180c and transfer the eggs to an oven-proof dish, cook for 25-30 mins until cooked & browned. Remove & allow to cool.