How To Make And Prepare Couscous?
Couscous are small grains, made from flour (white couscous) or whole wheat flour (brown couscous). These still need to be processed and steamed. You can’t eat raw couscous, but how can you make couscous?
How to make couscous?
- Couscous is made from coarsely ground wheat, spelled or corn.
- Water is added to the flour or flour.
- By rubbing a handful of flour between the hands, uneven grains are formed.
- The grains are now steamed and dried several times.
This is briefly described how couscous is made. There is more to it than just rubbing your hands in flour and water. The entire process is explained in more detail below.
The preparation of couscous is also discussed. The tasty flavoring of Couscous with, for example, Moroccan herbs.
What Is Couscous Made Of?
Couscous is made from coarsely ground wheat, spelt or maize, from which the germ and bran have been removed (the white variety) or from wheat, spelled or maize which has been coarsely ground and containing the bran and the germ (the brown variety). variant). For a truly traditional Moroccan dish, the grain used to make couscous comes from Morocco!
How To Make Couscous?
Couscous can be made in 2 ways. It can be made by hand, so in the traditional way. These are irregular grains that are often somewhat larger than couscous from the factory.
Medium balls are made in the factory, but also small balls. Flavored couscous are also made, which also have other colors. For example red couscous with tomato or green with spinach. These granules appear uniform in size.
Making Couscous by Hand
Flour (or flour) and a little water are mixed together. When flour has absorbed the water, this mixture is rolled between the hands. First mix the flour and water together and then take a handful of flour and roll it gently between your hands, until small grains are formed, smaller and smaller to the desired size. The couscous rolled by hand are not even.
Keep repeating this so that the entire bowl consists of small rolled balls of dough. If the balls fall apart while rolling in the hand, add some more water.
It is now possible to pass the flour through a sieve so that the grains become more even, but it is not necessary. Then the couscous is dried. This couscous is undercooked. It must first be steamed before it can be eaten.
Steam couscous in a traditional steamer
There are traditional steamers that can steam couscous. These are large pans with a large sieve on top. They are separate from each other and fit exactly together.
Put water in the pan and bring it to a boil. When it boils, the sieve goes on the pan and the couscous is steamed for 10 minutes. Do not put the lid on the pan, let the steam escape. Remove the sieve from the pan and carefully toss the couscous to make sure everything is airy.
Then the couscous goes back on the steamer for 10 minutes and the sore is removed again. Then carefully loosen the couscous again.
Repeat this process 1 more time and the couscous is ready for further processing. Let the couscous cool down well before making a dish with it.
Steam couscous without a steamer
It is possible to steam couscous without a steamer. This requires a pan with boiling water and a large sieve that fits on the pan, so that it can lie on top of the rim. It has to be there for 3 x 10 minutes. It is not convenient to have to hold it for so long.
When you have repeated the above steaming process 3 times, the couscous is ready. Now the couscous can be prepared, but let it cool down first.
How To Prepare Couscous
To prepare couscous you can use your homemade couscous as described above. For the preparation of couscous, we assume that fresh couscous is used.
Place the steamed couscous in a large bowl and let it cool. Then add oil and a little salt. Mix this all together well so that the oil is evenly distributed. Now you can add herbs to your liking. This gives the couscous a nice taste.
How to Flavor Couscous
After the oil has absorbed and the herbs have been mixed, pour the stock into the couscous. This way we can flavor the couscous. The stock should be just above the couscous. Let it stand for 10 minutes so that the balls can absorb the stock, so do not stir but let it rest. Now the balls will swell, which means that the stock is completely absorbed by the couscous.
After 10 minutes, gently and gently roll the couscous with your hands so that small grains are formed again. It has started to stick together because of the broth.
How to Steam Couscous
The couscous can now be placed in the colander, and the colander is placed on top of the steamer. Now the couscous has to steam for 10 minutes over the pan of boiling water.
Now the couscous goes back into a bowl. Add oil and possibly salt. Then broth is added. Let it soak again. And that’s how this whole process works again.
This process is usually done 3 times. Taste after round 2 if it is cooked. If this is the case, you can choose to steam the couscous only 2 times.
How often you need to steam also depends on the flour used for the couscous. One type of flour is steamed for a shorter time than the other. It is always good to taste after steaming whether the couscous is cooked and ready for use. Now it can be prepared.
Preparing Couscous From Pack
When homemade couscous has been made, you can now use it to put a dish on the table. When you have bought a pack from the supermarket, the instructions for use must be followed. Couscous is prepared with lots of vegetables. There are herbal blends that go well with couscous. It is often prepared with the spice mix ras el hanout or with turmeric, cumin and paprika powder. But this is not a given. Many combinations and creations are possible.
Couscous Gluten-free
There are variants on the market that are gluten-free. These are made from corn. Some of them are also vegetarian or even vegan.
