A-Z of Cookery ingredients

Dehydrated Cous Cous

C is for Couscous
The word Couscous is probably derived from the Arabic word Kaskasa meaning "to pound small". Cous cous is one of the staple dishes of North Africa, the Middle East and also Sicily.
It is a simple yet elegant form of pasta called Semolina that was first produced in North Algeria and it appears to have been invented by the Berber people there, it was discovered by the French during the conquest of Algeria during Charles X reign.


Recipe
Preparation time - 5 Minutes
Cooking time - 5 Minutes
Equipment needed
Weighing scales
1 Mixing bowl
1 Chopping board
1 Cook's knife
1 Frying pan
Ingredients
250g Dehydrated Cous cous
300ml Boiling stock, either vegetable or chicken stock is fine
1 Small onion
1 Pepper
5 Button mushrooms

1 Tsp Garlic puree
Method

Cous cous re hydrated with mushroom stock.

1. Place 250g of dehydrated Cous cous into a mixing bowl and pour 300ml of boiling stock over it. Stir it well then cover the bowl with either clingfilm or a kitchen towel and leave it to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Roughly chop all the vegetables and gently fry them in a little oil with the garlic puree.
3. Now remove the clingfilm or towel from the Cous cous, drizzle with a little olive oil and separate the grains with a wooden spoon or fork.
4. Now add the fried vegetables to the Cous cous and mix well adding salt and pepper to taste.

Gently fry the vegetables.

You can add any of your favourite meat, fish or vegetables to cous cous, it is very versatile and easy to experiment with.