Couscous? Anyone really like that stuff?

[Tammy]

I decided to try some couscous.....really not knowing WHAT it was. I prepared it as directed.....and decided it tasted like NOTHING.

 

Is there a trick to preparing it?

 

Tammy

[Kim in Appalachia]

It is good with chicken, flavored with a gravy or sauce. It is good mixed with sautéed eggplant and tomatoes, or mixed with any kind of sauce.

 

It needs something to flavor it, other wise it is bland.

[dangermom]

It's good to mix it with other stuff. I like a nice couscous salad in the summer, and one of my favorite quick meals is Italian tomato soup and couscous (known in our home as Mommy Soup). I use one can of Progresso Tomato Basil soup with two servings of couscous, mix together and put a bit of Romano cheese on top.

 

By itself couscous doesn't taste like much, but it's a nice texture to mix with other things. Oh, and it's very nice with curry.

[Crissy]

It is similar to pasta. You need to add seasoning and flavor, just like you would spaghetti, or macaroni.

 

We like it with a little olive oil and more than a little fresh parmesan.

[Once]

:iagree:

It is like white rice. You need to pair it with a great mediteranian meal. My kids love it!

[Philothea]

I throw in a few bullion cues to the water and sometimes some sauteed onion or shallot and mushroom, and served it like pilaf. I also use it in place of rice in stuffed peppers.

[Jennefer@SSA]

I cook mine in chicken stock. Dh loves it. The kids tolerate it and I am neutral. It is a nice change from potatoes and rice for sure! I also like to add toasted pecans depending on the dish we are having it with.

[happygrrl]

It tastes better (IMO) when it is rinsed a few times before preparing to get the saponins out.

[CookieMonster]

I decided to try some couscous.....really not knowing WHAT it was. I prepared it as directed.....and decided it tasted like NOTHING.

 

Is there a trick to preparing it?

 

Tammy

 

Plain couscous does nothing for me.

 

But the Near East Curry Couscous or Parmesean Couscous - yummmmm!

 

 

I suppose if you were someone who could actually cook worth a lick (unlike me) you could add the spices on your own. I tried...and went back to the preboxed mix.

[Tracy in Ky]

We LOVE couscous! -especially whole wheat. Here is how I fix it:

 

I saute some onions and garlic, then add chopped zuchinni, yellow squash, basil, salt, and pepper. After that has cooked a bit, add some fresh, chopped tomatoes.

 

Serve over couscous with fresh parmesean cheese, shredded.

 

Yummy!

Edited October 13, 2008 by Tracy in Ky

[momofkhm]

But definitely need to cook it with butter or chicken stock.

[JFSinIL]

Think of it as teensy weensy pasta - would you eat pasta plain?

[abbeyej]

As others have said, couscous is a type of pasta. Pretty boring plain, but almost endlessly flexible *with* other foods.

[Jenny in Florida]

As others have said, the plain stuff is, well, plain. I even like that, though, with a little margarine as a side dish with vegetables.

 

We often use curry-flavored couscous with hummus and chopped veggies to stuff in pita. It's one of our favorite meals.

 

I'd suggest looking for some recipes to flavor it.

[OnTheBrink]

I like it plain with butter and salt, or mixed in with a big bowl of steamed veggies.

[kalanamak]

I love this dish, more than I can say. It looks very beautiful at a party on a big white platter:

 

http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/tun_cous.html

 

If you don't want to go to the effort of steaming and doing couscous the traditional way, try "rehydrating " it with stock, or giving it a good swath of herbed butter before serving.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

I love it! But yeah, totally plain without something else. It is like pasta and rice would be if you just did nothing but cook them.

 

I cook mine with beef bouillon cubes and eat it like that when I am feeling under the weather.

[Zelda]

I love it! But yeah, totally plain without something else. It is like pasta and rice would be if you just did nothing but cook them.

 

I cook mine with beef bouillon cubes and eat it like that when I am feeling under the weather.

 

My kids love it. I love it as a salad with black olives, red onion, green peppers, feta cheese and a vinaigrette.

[sgilli3]

Couscous is a staple in our life here in the Middle East!

It is known as "maghrabiyya"

 

Delicious!

I quite enjoy it plain ( accompanying Moroccan lamb + natural yoghurt with mint etc), but is equally as nice cooked in stock, a little butter added and spices.

 

Its inexpensive, so easy to cook, is a staple food in houses/cafes here, and is delicious.

[lynn]

We like it here. I make it instead of rice or potatoes sometimes.

[Shelly in VA]

I like to saute some onions, garlic, basil and vegetables (zucchini, okra, squash, tomato), then serve that over couscous. It's also good with sauteed vegetables and some Parmesan. But you definitely have to add something to it for flavor and to eliminate the dry texture it has on its own.

 

Shelly

[momzilla333]

I just saute a little onion and toss in some dried fruit like raisins etc in the liquid to rehydrate, then maybe some pine nuts at the end for a little crunch. Maybe some herbs, Definitely needs stock and other flavorings, It's nice in the summer because you don't have to boil it like regular pasta.

Maybe you just need to try some different things with it to find what your family likes?

[CalicoKat]

toss some a 1/2 cup grated carrot and some cilantro or parsley in with it before you pour the hot water on it.

 

Yum!

[Tammyla]

:lol: It reminds me of grits, a bowl of mushy stuff that needs lots of stuff to make it palatable.

 

I decided to try some couscous.....really not knowing WHAT it was. I prepared it as directed.....and decided it tasted like NOTHING.

 

Is there a trick to preparing it?

 

Tammy

[Erica in PA]

I decided to try some couscous.....really not knowing WHAT it was. I prepared it as directed.....and decided it tasted like NOTHING.

 

Is there a trick to preparing it?

 

Tammy

 

I cook couscous with chicken broth instead of water. After it's cooked, I add some olive oil and salt, and squeeze some lemon over it. Yum!

[Slartibartfast]

I like it with tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, a little chopped mint and parsley

 

Or with curry powder, raisins and slivered almonds.

[mazakaal]

Haven't read the other responses. Maybe this has already been suggested. I like it cold, mixed with some olive oil and either lemon juice or lime juice, some salt and pepper to taste or some garlic salt. Add chopped parsley or cilantro and chopped bell peppers (any color), chopped carrots, chopped cucumber, maybe some peas, a little bit of shredded lettuce if you want, really any type of veg that you'd add to a cold salad.

[Laura Corin]

Couscous is a medium for flavour, like pasta. We like it:

 

Mixed with a salad dressing or lime juice and salad items (tomatoes, scallions, etc.)

 

Mixed with tinned tuna/mackerel/sardines and lime juice.

 

Laura