Are you a dump-and-boil culprit? Stop it. Please. We beg you.
Everything you know about couscous is wrong. Well, maybe not absolutely everything, but I think it’s safe to say that if your only exposure to couscous is dumping a box of white mystery-beads and a flavor packet into boiling water—most of what you know about couscous is wrong.
Let’s take a moment to figure out exactly what couscous is and why you should ignore the instructions on the side of the box to prevent these criminally negligent manufacturers from encouraging you to commit any further crimes against our beloved couscous.
Couscous is not a grain. Couscous is not (technically) pasta.
Couscous is eaten by more than 100 million people worldwide and is a cornerstone of North African cuisine, but here in North America we’ve been misled and underinformed. In spite of couscous being sold alongside the rice, quinoa, and other grains at the supermarket, it is not a whole grain. Although well-intentioned folks describe couscous as pasta since it’s made from ground semolina and water, it’s technically not pasta either.
So what is it?
Couscous is made by sprinkling semolina (a type of flour made from durum wheat, sometimes called “pasta wheat”) with water and rolling it to form small beads that are then sprinkled with dry flour and sifted to keep them separate. Pasta dough is kneaded to develop gluten and build its resilience, in part so it won’t turn to mush when boiled. (More about boiling couscous in a minute.) Couscous dough isn’t kneaded like conventional pasta dough, and the flour coating also means it’s not just simply a grain either.
Ignore the directions on the side of the box
Yes, you read that right; ignore the directions on the side of the box. Pouring couscous granules into boiling water and letting them soak for five minutes should be prohibited by law, except in cases of severe hardship or if you’re simply trying to demonstrate the perfect technique for ruining couscous.
Sure, soaked couscous will be edible; well-done steaks are “edible” too. But if you steam and fluff couscous the traditional way, the granules will absorb a lot more moisture, creating more volume, fragrance, and giving your couscous a dramatically softer texture—like millions of tiny jewels, instead of a plateful of lumpy, wet sand.
Any couscous you find in the supermarket can be steamed, even if it’s being sold as instant. Traditionally, Berber nomads would steam couscous in twigs and reeds that were woven together and placed over a pot of stew that was then served over or alongside the couscous. If you’re a couscous connoisseur, you might want to invest in a couscoussière, a double-boiler that cooks the stew in a lower pan while steaming the couscous in the top pan.
If you don’t have a couscoussière lying around, you can use a stockpot and a colander as long as the colander fits snugly inside the pot so steam can’t escape around the edges (you want to make sure the steam rises through the couscous). Seal the space between the colander and the pot with damp cheesecloth, bread dough, or strips of wet paper towel rolled up and placed in the gap.
Couscous has a nutty, sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with stews, braises, and grilled or roasted veggies. As an introduction, search your favorite recipe site for “Moroccan couscous” and find a recipe that suits you—just whatever you do, for the love of God, don’t dump your couscous in water.
Steamed Couscous
- 1 1/3 cups of couscous
- 1 cup water + water for steaming
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Salt
Spread dry couscous out evenly on a large-rimmed baking sheet, carefully pour the water over the couscous and stir with your hands. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Using your fingers, break up the clumps that will have formed, then add a tablespoon of olive oil.
Place a sieve filled with the dampened grains over two inches of water, bring to a simmer, and steam with no lid for 15 minutes. Transfer the couscous back to the sheet pan and let it cool.
Again, break up any clumps and add another 1/4 cup of water. Return the couscous to the pot and steam for another 20 minutes.
Remove the cooked couscous from the pot and fluff it one final time, then add a tablespoon of butter, salt to taste, and serve.
Steamed couscous should quadruple in volume, giving you approximately 4x more cooked couscous than what you started with.
Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan who has traveled abroad extensively, trained chefs, and owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits