Fluffy Couscous with Olive Oil and Parsley
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and Food Network Kitchen.
Instant couscous toasted golden in olive oil, steamed off the heat for 7 min and forked loose with parsley.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Toast the grains. Warm 1 tbsp of the oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, tip in the couscous and stir for 3-5 min. Once the grains look lightly golden and smell nutty, they are ready; toasting adds flavour and helps keep each grain separate.
- 2
Add boiling liquid. Pour in the 400 ml boiling water or stock with the salt, give it a single stir, then clamp on the lid and lift the pan off the heat. Leave it alone for 7 min so the couscous can soak up every drop of steam.
- 3
Fluff thoroughly. Lift the lid and spend a full minute raking through the couscous with a fork. Breaking every clump now gives the light, sandy texture you want.
- 4
Season and serve. Fork through the rest of the oil, the parsley and the pepper. Heap it in a bowl, crown it with a parsley sprig and serve warm.
Storage
Cool quickly and refrigerate covered up to 3 days. Eat cold as a salad or reheat with a splash of water, covered, until piping hot (74 °C), fluffing again with a fork. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low saturated fat: 1.5 g saturated fat per 100 g, 2.6% of energy (limits ≤ 1.5 g and ≤ 10%)
- Sugar-free: 0 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 69 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- medium saucepan with tight lid
- fork
- kettle
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 343 kcal |
| Protein | 9.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 58.4 g |
| of which sugars | 0 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 7.3 g |
| of which saturates | 1 g |
| Fibre | 3.9 g |
| Salt | 1.12 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
