What’s better than a delicious and healthy meal that ready in 15 minutes when you don’t feel like cooking? It feels like eating fried rice, but much easier to cook. Please welcome my new favourite — vegetarian spiced couscous.
In case you’re not familiar with couscous, let me tell you something about it. Couscous is made from semolina wheat, nothing to do with rice. It’s a main staple in North African cuisine, like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
Types of Couscous
Couscous has different size: Moroccan one is the smallest, requires only boiling water (or stock) to prepare; Israeli couscous (or called pearl couscous) is larger in granules and has chewy texture; while the largest one is Lebanese couscous which takes longer time to cook.
I usually have a pack of Moroccan couscous in the cupboard. Just soak it in boiling hot water for 10 minutes, then stir-fry with vegetables, sprinkle in a few different aromatic spices, and it’s ready to enjoy.
Although these tiny balls’ starch content is similar to rice (just slightly less), they don’t stick together much like white rice after cooking, makes couscous easier to stir-fry and get along with other ingredients.
Vegetarian Spiced Couscous Recipe
An easy and healthy meal that can be ready in 15 minutes. It gives a fried rice feel but it’s much easier to prepare!
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 140 g couscous
- 210 ml broth
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ onion, diced
- a handful of frozen peas
- bell pepper, diced
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- lemon juice
- salt and pepper
How to Make
- Soak couscous in broth and covered. Let it sit for 10 minutes. (Check packet instructions)
- Warm a tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-low heat, sauté the garlic and onions until fragrant.
- Add the bell peppers with a pinch of salt, and cook for a few minutes until they are soften. Then stir in the peas to cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Add all the spices, salt and pepper, and freshly squeeze in lemon juice. Check for seasoning before serving.
