Couscous - what is this cereal and how to cook?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Surely many have seen couscous for sale. What is it? In fact, it is a cereal made from processed grains. It is generally accepted that only millet is used to make couscous, but this is not so. You can find both rice and oat products with the same name. By itself, this cereal is useful, has a number of useful properties. However, many are afraid to eat it because of its high calorie content and inability to cook. However, both are easily fixable. For example, cooking porridge takes little time, it does not need a lot of ingredients. And if you eat couscous in moderation, then there will be no problems with calories.

Couscous: general information

Couscous - what is it? Previously, this type of cereal was produced by hand, from crushed grains and flour. Now, of course, the process is automated. But it is a mistake to believe that because of the processing in such a machine way, the cereal has become less useful.

One hundred grams of this type of cereal accounts for 376 kilocalories. This is a fairly high number. Therefore, you should not lean on this type of cereal, it should be consumed in a dosed manner. If a person monitors his weight, then you should simply enter couscous porridge into your daily calorie intake, that is, into the required calorie intake. It is also worth noting that the carbohydrates in the cereal are broken down longer, without causing a jump in blood sugar,giving a feeling of satiety.

What is the use of this new cereal?

First of all, it is the elderly who should use couscous. What does it mean? Due to its properties, porridge or a side dish from this cereal is easily digestible and does not burden the stomach.

What else is couscous good for? It contains many important and necessary substances for a person, for example, almost all B vitamins, as well as potassium and iron. Also, the use of this type of cereal allows you to normalize the s alt balance in the human body. Also, periodic use of couscous helps to restore disturbed sleep.

It is also worth including cereals in your diet if there is a risk of early graying. Due to the presence of copper, this cereal helps hair stay beautiful longer.

How to cook couscous?

The easiest way to make porridge from this interesting cereal requires only three ingredients: boiling water, cereal and s alt. The grains are simply poured with boiling water in a ratio of one to one, s alted and left under the lid for fifteen minutes. During this time, the grains will absorb water and swell.

The second option for quick porridge is cooking. How to cook couscous in this way? Water is boiled, s alted, cereals are added, all in the same ratio, boiled for about a couple of minutes and removed from the stove. You can also cook sweet porridge by replacing s alt with granulated sugar or honey.

It is worth noting that many housewives are looking for the secrets of making crumbly porridge. For example, you can grind it raw withvegetable oil. You can also boil couscous grits, and then fry for a couple of minutes in a dry frying pan. It will also give the dish a more crumbly texture.

Delicious porridge with milk: detailed description and recipe

To make porridge with milk, you need to take:

• glass of couscous;
• 1, 25 liters of baked milk;
• butter;
• sugar and s alt.

You can also add cinnamon or vanilla to taste. They will give the porridge flavor. However, much depends on taste preferences.

The milk is boiled, a little s alt, sugar and butter are added to taste. Fall asleep cereal. When the mass boils, leave the porridge under the lid, remove from the stove. Mix thoroughly before serving.

Delicious chicken fillet dish

In order to cook couscous with vegetables and chicken, you need to take:

• a glass of cereal;
• 300 grams chicken fillet;
• two tomatoes;
• two bell peppers;
• one carrot;
• onion head;
• 400 milliliters of broth;
• dried basil;
• s alt and pepper to taste.

To begin with, the pepper is washed, cut into two halves and baked in the oven so that the crust begins to darken. Thus prepared vegetable is simply peeled. It is removed carefully, leaving the pulp.

Cooking delicious meals

Pour some vegetable oil into the pan. It is better to choose a saucepan or a frying pan with high sides. Onionand carrots are cut into circles and fried on both sides. The chicken is washed, cut into cubes and added to the onion with carrots.

Tomatoes are peeled, cut into cubes, the same is done with bell peppers. Boiling water allows you to quickly peel tomatoes. Filling them with tomatoes for five minutes, you can quickly remove the skin. Everything is transferred to the chicken, sprinkled with spices, poured with broth and stewed until the meat is ready.

Then the turn of cereals. Couscous is poured into the rest of the ingredients, boiled for a couple of minutes, and then removed from heat. Let the dish stand for about ten minutes under the lid. It is best to stir the couscous occasionally. What will it give? First of all, this will help the porridge become more crumbly. And in the second - to absorb all the tastes of vegetables and meat.

Delicious soup with two types of cabbage

Couscous recipes are varied. Such a quick soup is not only tasty, but also he althy. To prepare it, you need to take:

• 150 grams of cauliflower;
• as much broccoli;
• a glass of cereal;
• 50 grams of cheese;
• s alt and pepper;
• bunch of fresh herbs.

This dietary soup is very easy to prepare. Pour water into the pan, put s alt and spices. Lay the inflorescences of both types of cabbage, cook until tender. After that, pour in the grits, mix thoroughly and remove from heat.

When serving, put some finely chopped cheese and greens in each plate.

Spicy oriental dessert

Not everyone knows what kind of cereal - couscous and what desserts you can make with it. Forcooking take:

• 400 grams of granulated sugar;
• 150 grams of honey;
• three kilograms of boiled cereals;
• 400ml water;
• fruit to taste.

For this recipe, you can take both fresh and dried fruits, add nuts to taste.

To start, prepare a syrup of water, honey and sugar. Cook all these ingredients together until the mass becomes thick. Dried fruits are pre-soaked in water, finely chopped. Nuts or candied fruits are also crushed.

Mix cereal, syrup, other ingredients, spread on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Put in the oven for thirty minutes at a temperature of 150 degrees. Such a dessert should be monitored, a crust should form on it.

Salad with cereal: tasty and original

With couscous you can also cook a delicious and original salad. This dish can be served both cold and warm. It won't make the taste worse.

To prepare a salad, take the following products:

• 150 ml stock, vegetable, chicken or meat;
• a bunch of cilantro;
• bunch of parsley;
• one hundred grams of cereal;
• fifty milliliters of olive oil;
• three cloves of garlic;
• two small eggplants;
• a little apple cider vinegar;
• s alt, pepper and other spices to taste.

The broth is boiled, the cereal is poured over it, left for ten minutes to infuse. Eggplants are washed, peeled, cut into circles. Fry on both sides in a small amount of oil.

Cilantro andfinely chop the parsley, rub the garlic, combine the two ingredients with s alt, pepper and vinegar and rub together.

Eggplants are mixed with ready-made cereals, poured with greens and garlic sauce.

Sweet porridge with dried apricots

You can also cook sweet cereals from couscous. For cooking take:

• one carrot;
• two hundred grams of dry cereals;
• two glasses of water;
• fifty grams of butter;
• 50 grams of raisins;
• the same amount of dried apricots and prunes.

To begin with, butter is melted at the bottom of the pan. Carrots are rubbed on a fine grater, added to the butter and fried, stirring for about ten minutes.

Dried fruits are first poured with boiling water for five minutes, then squeezed and added to carrots. Pour cereal, pour water. Stirring occasionally, cook the porridge for twenty minutes under the lid, over low heat. Similarly, you can cook such a dish in a slow cooker.

Groats with an interesting name "cous-cous" are not known to many. However, it is worth adding it to your diet. It contains many useful elements, such as iron and potassium. Also, cereals have a beneficial effect on the metabolism and the human nervous system. You can cook a lot with cereals, for example, a delicious dessert or sweet porridge. Couscous with vegetables and chicken fillet is also very tasty. In any case, porridge is prepared quickly and simply, for which the housewives love it.