Cold couscous: here’s how to prepare it (and 10 ideas for seasoning it)

Cold couscous is an excellent alternative to classic rice or pasta salad dishes. Here are 10 different ways to season it.

When you are looking for quick first courses, the best way to get out of trouble is to prepare an excellent cold couscous. Simple and delicious , it is obtained just like pasta from durum wheat semolina with the only difference that it comes in the form of small grains.

The best way to cook it is by absorption , simply covering it with double its volume of lightly salted boiling water and waiting for it to rehydrate. However, if you are wondering how to season couscous, you are in the right place. We are about to reveal 10 different ways to do it , one better than the other!

How to prepare cold couscous

As mentioned, the best way to cook couscous is by absorption . This particular technique allows you not to spend too much time at the stove and avoid making your kitchen even hotter.

1. To prepare it, simply bring double the volume of couscous water to the boil, salt it lightly and then pour it over the semolina grains placed in a rather large bowl.
2. Cover it with a lid or a plate to keep the steam inside and leave to rehydrate for 10 minutes .
3. Fluff the couscous with a fork and prepare to season it as you prefer. Here are our suggestions!

10 recipes with cold couscous

• Couscous with vegetables. Choose your favorite summer vegetables, cut them into half-centimeter pieces and cook them in a pan with oil and a clove of garlic. Season with salt and pepper and use them to season.

• Fish cous cous. Use the recipe for a classic seafood pasta and replace the pasta with couscous cooked as above. You'll taste how great it tastes!

• Couscous with pesto. Simple and delicious, simply season the couscous with pesto and add a few diced tomatoes to bring a summer recipe to the table.

• Cous cous salad . How about replacing rice in the classic rice salad recipe? The busiest of people will also be able to use the jars of rice salad mix without fear. If you like, you can then add diced tuna and cheese to make everything even better.

• Couscous with legumes. To create a unique dish, enrich the couscous with pre-cooked lentils. Also add some dried tomatoes and oregano to give the dish an extra boost of flavor.

• Citrus couscous. Orange and lemon zest and a little fresh thyme will be enough to give these grains the flavor they are missing.

• Cous cous with cherry tomatoes and rocket. Chop the well-washed rocket with a knife, cut the cherry tomatoes into small pieces and season your couscous with these two ingredients. To complete, a drizzle of raw oil will be enough.

• Couscous bowl with chicken and vegetables. In the wake of poke bowls, here the rice is replaced by couscous. To enrich and make the dish complete, add some chicken and vegetables grilled together on a grill.

• Vegan couscous . Cut the tofu into cubes and sauté it in the pan together with the soy sauce, a grating of fresh ginger and a clove of garlic and use it to season the couscous by adding sliced ​​olives, desalted capers and dried tomatoes. To flavor, add lemon juice and oil.

• Vegetarian couscous. Diced cheese of the type you prefer, hard-boiled eggs and diced pan-fried vegetables are the ingredients needed to bring excellent couscous to the table.

If these ideas are still not enough for you, try couscous with melon and avocado .

storage

All these recipes are good fresh and freshly prepared, you can also store them for about 2 days in the refrigerator, inside a container with an airtight lid. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.