Side · grain
Herbed Couscous
Five-minute grain that carries any saucy entree. The fluffy default.
Active5 min
Total10 min
Dishes1
Per serving$0.70
Ingredients · 4 servings
| 1.5 cup | couscous · pantry |
| 1 tbsp | butter |
| 0.25 bunch | parsley grow it ↗ |
| kosher salt · pantry |
Method
The chef moveToast the couscous in butter before the water hits. Nutty, not gummy.
- Toast couscous in butter 1 min. Add 1.5 cups boiling salted water, cover, kill the heat.
- After 5 min, fluff with a fork and fold in chopped parsley.
The Why · No Anecdotes
The science, not a story about my childhood.
Why toast couscous before steaming it?
Couscous is just tiny pasta. Toasting the granules in fat browns their surface starch and sets it, so they hydrate into distinct, nutty grains instead of clumping into paste.