How to Cook Couscous
Morocco
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How to prepare instant couscous: boiling water or stock poured over, covered, left to steam, then fluffed. This is a technique page for a staple ingredient rather than a recipe for a dish, and it is filed as such. Couscous is North African, specifically Berber in origin, and it is a staple across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Its status was recognised by UNESCO in 2020, when the knowledge and practices around couscous were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in a joint submission by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. It is not a grain, despite looking like one. Couscous is pasta, durum wheat semolina moistened, rolled into tiny granules and dried. Three sizes are common: Moroccan, the smallest; Israeli or pearl couscous, about the size of peppercorns; and Lebanese, the largest. The traditional method has nothing to do with pouring boiling water on. Couscous is steamed, usually more than once, in the upper chamber of a couscoussier over a stew whose vapours flavour it as it cooks. That is how it is made for a proper meal in North Africa and the results are much lighter. Almost all couscous sold in supermarkets is pre-steamed and dried, which is why the rehydration method here works.
Couscous is a North African staple of Berber origin, made from durum wheat semolina rolled into granules. Traditionally it is steamed in the upper chamber of a couscoussier over a stew. In 2020 UNESCO inscribed the knowledge and practices concerning couscous on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in a joint submission by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
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Combine the couscous and salt in a large bowl.
Pour the boiling water or stock over it all at once and mix through quickly and thoroughly.
Cover the bowl tightly with a lid, a plate or cling film.
Leave it to steam for 10 to 15 minutes without lifting the cover.
Take the cover off and separate the grains with a fork, working through the whole bowl.
Mix in the butter or olive oil if you are using it.
Serve as a base for North African tagines and stews, alongside meat, fish or vegetables, or cooled as a salad.
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