Pegasus Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I wanted to add more variety to our side dishes and decided to try making couscous. I have had it a few times (restaurants, friends houses, etc.) and it has always been fluffy and yellowish. Well, mine turned out tan, dense, chewy, and most resembled small cat kibble. I finally grabbed the box and hit Google. It turns out that the product I bought is Israeli couscous, also sometimes called pearl couscous. It was NOT a hit with the family. We all had a small serving and threw the rest away. There's a reason many of us are hesitant to leave our ruts. :tongue_smilie: Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) I wanted to add more variety to our side dishes and decided to try making couscous. I have had it a few times (restaurants, friends houses, etc.) and it has always been fluffy and yellowish. Well, mine turned out tan, dense, chewy, and most resembled small cat kibble. I finally grabbed the box and hit Google. It turns out that the product I bought is Israeli couscous, also sometimes called pearl couscous. It was NOT a hit with the family. We all had a small serving and threw the rest away. There's a reason many of us are hesitant to leave our ruts. :tongue_smilie: Pegasus It's pasta. You probably got whole wheat. I cook couscous in broth. I sometimes add veggies to it as well. Anything, really. The the water first next time. Don't give up. Couscous is versatile. :) Quiona is delicious. I often use it in place of rice in chicken soup. Looks so cute and curly. Edited October 15, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbasil Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I love Israeli couscous! It does have to be cooked, though, and like PP stated, it's just tiny pasta. What you're probably used to is instant couscous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 It turns out that the product I bought is Israeli couscous, also sometimes called pearl couscous. It was NOT a hit with the family. We all had a small serving and threw the rest away. There's a reason many of us are hesitant to leave our ruts. :tongue_smilie: Pegasus I hear ya. We love couscous (especially since we got a Trader Joe's and can finally get whole wheat couscous), but the Israeli was not a winner here, either. Somebody asked, "Why are we having our stirfry on...tapioca?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 It does have to be cooked, though, :grouphug: I love this comment. :D I promise that I did cook it. I followed the directions on the side that included heating it in a pot with some oil for a minute and then adding boiling water and simmering for 8 minutes and then letting it sit for 5 minutes. It was cooked. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, I suspect that what I've had before is instant non-Israeli couscous. I think I just rush too much in the grocery store as this isn't the first time that I got home with the wrong product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Quiona is delicious. I'm not even sure that I can pronounce this. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I'm not even sure that I can pronounce this. . . Keen-wah. And it's nasty!! It's like eating little frog eggs. Yuck. Dh and dd1 are the only ones in our house who will eat. Gross! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Keen-wah. And it's nasty!! It's like eating little frog eggs. Yuck. Dh and dd1 are the only ones in our house who will eat. Gross! ha! Thanks for the warning. My family isn't very adventurous and I don't want to turn them off of trying new things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 ha! Thanks for the warning. My family isn't very adventurous and I don't want to turn them off of trying new things! Actually my family vastly prefers quinoa to couscous. We think quinoa is quite tasty. Couscous is very boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 quinoa is quite tasty. Couscous is very boring. I feel a poll coming on! What other unusual side dishes can I add to the poll? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 :grouphug: I love this comment. :D I promise that I did cook it. I followed the directions on the side that included heating it in a pot with some oil for a minute and then adding boiling water and simmering for 8 minutes and then letting it sit for 5 minutes. It was cooked. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, I suspect that what I've had before is instant non-Israeli couscous. I think I just rush too much in the grocery store as this isn't the first time that I got home with the wrong product. What you had before is regular, non whole wheat, cous cous. It's pasta that is sooo tiny it cooks by sitting in broth for 5 minutes, then serves up a yellow and fluffy and yummy. Just buy regular cous cous and try again . . .in chicken broth. You'll love it. Nothing is easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Couscous has been a favorite for my kids since they were very wee. I once thought I'd be daring and try Israeli couscous. Never again :tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Actually my family vastly prefers quinoa to couscous. We think quinoa is quite tasty. Couscous is very boring. YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!!! All of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 We love both Israeli couscous and quinoa. The whole wheat couscous is great in vegetable soup. It makes a nice change from brown rice and barley, and doesn't fall apart in the soup. We found quinoa a little strange at first. It is nice to have another gluten-free "grain" to serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I feel a poll coming on! What other unusual side dishes can I add to the poll? Bulgur! I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Actually my family vastly prefers quinoa to couscous. We think quinoa is quite tasty. Couscous is very boring. :iagree: With couscous, I cook it with broth and added bouillon to make it less boring. I also love Israeli couscous, but I guess you have to cook it correctly in order to appreciate it. It think with all the "less traditional" foods, you really have to know how to cook/season it. I always recommend, if possible, to try it at a restaurant. I find new foods to eat all the time this way. I never, ever liked beets until I had them recently when I went out to eat. However they were prepared made me a beet lover! Now I just have to figure out how to make them like the restaurant did. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I mix quinoa in with rice, it gives it a bit of a protein boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Bulgur in tabbouleh, so, so yummy! Sometimes I hate Atkins :glare:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Keen-wah. And it's nasty!! It's like eating little frog eggs. Yuck. Dh and dd1 are the only ones in our house who will eat. Gross! Frog eggs? We love quinoa. It can be used in place of rice in most dishes, and is far more nutritious. It tends to take on the taste of the other spices and flavors in the food. If you buy it not pre-rinsed and don't rinse it, though, you can have issues with bitterness. I buy it pre-rinsed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Actually my family vastly prefers quinoa to couscous. We think quinoa is quite tasty. Couscous is very boring. :iagree: We adore quinoa. I'll eat couscous, but it doesn't have much flavor unless you butter the crap out of it. Quinoa has a great flavor, and tastes amazing in bean salads and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 We love Israeli couscous in soup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Quinoa, like wheat or pretty much anything grainy, is only as good as the recipe that is used to prepare it. It can be excellent or simply terrible. If you have had it and hate it, I would bet it was poorly prepared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Keen-wah. And it's nasty!! It's like eating little frog eggs. Yuck. Dh and dd1 are the only ones in our house who will eat. Gross! Quinoa is lovely! I like it as a side to fish, and it also makes a great substitution for bulgur wheat in taboooleh (and gluten-free!). I also have a quinoa chili recipe. I've only ever had the Israeli couscous once, but I don't remember it being that dry/dense. In the recipe I had it was an ingredient in a salad, though, so it wasn't served as a whole clump, the individual grains were dispersed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.