Making a fragrant, nutty and fruity cous cous salad
Fluffy couscous meets crunchy nuts, appel and red onion for a refreshing and delicious bite. Quick, easy, and full of flavor!
Fragrant Cous Cous Salad
This vibrant couscous salad is packed with fragrant herbs and spices—perfect for a light meal or side dish!
Serves:
6 people
Time to Prepare:
20 min
Time to cook or cure:
20 min
Skill
Cous Cous making, Flavour building
Serves:
6 people
Time to Prepare:
20 min
Time to cook or cure:
20 min
Skills:
cous cous making, flavour building
Ingredients & Tools
Ingredients
- 500 gr cous cous
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes (cherry)
- 1 cup of sweet dried figs
- spice mix: 1 tb cumin, 1 tb smoked paprika, 1 tb tomato flakes, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp mixed peppercorns
- 3 small bayleaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp dried garlic
- 2 red onions
- 2 apples, crisp with skin
- 1/2 diy stock cube
- 1 bushel of thyme
- 1/2 cup of toasted almonds
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 4 dates
- 12 green olives
- 80 ml olive oil
- 700 ml water
- bushel of parsley
Tools
- saucepan
- wooden spatula
- cutting board
- knife
- sieve
- bowl
- lid for bowl or clingfilm to cover bowl
- deep serving plate
Useful guidelines
Making loose cous cous
o make light and fluffy couscous, start by using the right water-to-couscous ratio—typically 1:1 for standard couscous, slightly more for whole wheat, and boiling in excess water for pearl couscous. Bring the water to a rolling boil before adding the couscous, along with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil or butter for flavor. Once added, remove from heat immediately, cover, and let it steam for 5-10 minutes to absorb moisture properly. Avoid stirring while it steams, as this can make it dense. Instead, gently fluff it with a fork once it’s done to separate the grains. If making a large batch, spread it out to cool and prevent clumping. For extra flavor and a looser texture, lightly toast the dry couscous in a pan with olive oil for 2-3 minutes before adding water.
Â
Directions
Simply follow these steps in order to make a fragrant, nutty and fruity cous cous salad:
Making the Stock
Roughly chop the onion. In a saucepan, add the chopped onion, tomatoes, figs, spice mix, bay leaf, half of the stock cube, and the cinnamon stick. Pour in the olive oil and sauté on low heat for 5 minutes. Add half of the thyme bushel and cook for another 8 minutes, allowing the tomatoes and figs to rehydrate and the flavors to intensify. Strain the stock into a clean mixing bowl with a lid, keeping the solid ingredients separate. Let everything cool completely.
Hydrating the Couscous
Pour 500g of couscous into the piping hot stock you just drained. The couscous-to-liquid ratio should be equal, with no excess liquid on top. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film if a lid is unavailable. Let it steam undisturbed for 20 minutes.
Roasting Almonds & Chopping Ingredients
Roast the almonds for 12 minutes at 170°C (340°F). Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and apples, followed by the dates and olives. Once the rehydrated stock ingredients have cooled, remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, then chop everything finely.
Assembling the Salad
Mix the chopped stock ingredients into the cooled couscous, followed by the nuts, the diced onion, apples, dates, olives, and nuts. Combine everything thoroughly. Serve in a bowl, sprinkle with roasted walnuts and fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Let me know if you’d like any further refinements!
Storage
This dish keeps very well in the fridge. Consider only adding the apple, onion and nuts just before serving. serve at room temperature always!
Fermented Vegetables
Recipe Categories
