When it comes to cooking a “starch” for your meal, there are few sides easier to make than couscous. It’s simple, versatile and incredibly fast to cook-it’s ready in just 5 minutes! I’ve made a lot of couscous when testing recipes, and through all of that cooking I picked up on these 5 mistakes to avoid in the pursuit of perfect couscous.
Pictured Recipe:Easy Whole-Wheat Couscous
1. You don’t choose whole-grain couscous.
Although couscous looks like a grain, it’s actually pasta. Make sure what you’re buying is whole-grain. You’ll get an added boost of fiber. You may also notice Israeli couscous at the supermarket. This kind of couscous has larger granules and cooks differently than the smaller variety, and it is also not whole-grain.
2. You don’t use the proper water-to-couscous ratio.
Although couscous is pasta, it actuallycooksmore like a grain. You can’t just dump dry couscous into a pot of boiling water and drain it. Make sure you’re using the right water-to-couscous ratio, which is 1 cup water to 2/3 cup couscous.
3. You add the couscous before the water has boiled.
4. You don’t let it sit long enough.
Those tiny granules of couscous need time to soften. Make sure your pot remains covered to capture the steam from the hot water. Otherwise, you run the risk of undercooking your couscous, causing it to be chewy or crunchy.
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5. You forget to fluff.
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