How to cook couscous for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The benefits and harms of cereals

Couscous is a small grain of semolina covered with a layer of flour. It is recognized as the most useful cereal product. In the Maghreb Countries (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya) couscous with broth is a national dish. In France and Spain, the menu of each restaurant presents dishes from this cereal. In the establishments of oriental cuisine, pilaf, sweet cereals are made from it, added to soups, broths, salads, and prepared as a side dish.

Couscous has a pleasant delicate taste. At home, it can be cooked even by a novice culinary specialist or a child - he does not need to cook cereals. It absorbs smells well, acquires the taste of meat, fish, vegetables or fruits with which it is prepared. Sweet couscous is called masfuf. It is prepared in milk with sugar, adding dried fruits and nuts.

Classic garnish recipe

Garnish is suitable for meat, fish, seafood.

Crumbly couscous with vegetables and champignons

• Pour the groats into the pan, add curry and a pinch of salt.
• Pour boiling water, cover, leave for 5 minutes.
• Dice the onion, carrot into small cubes, mushrooms into slices.
• Fry onion in a small amount of oil, add carrots, fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add mushrooms, pour in soy sauce, cover, simmer for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle ready-made couscous to vegetables, mix.

Couscous with aromatic herbs

• a glass of cereal;
• 2 glasses of water;
• 35 g of olive oil;
• 70 g of onion;
• 40 g mint;
• 40 g of coriander;
• 1 tbsp. l oils;
• 1 tsp lemon juice;
• spice.

1. Steal the groats under the lid, leave for 7 minutes.
2. Dice the onion, finely chop the greens.
3. Add butter, onion, herbs, lemon juice to the porridge. Salt, pepper to taste.

Couscous in the first and second courses

Well complement the broth, diversifies the soup.

First soup

• 3 tbsp. l cereals;
• 500 g of chicken;
• 1 onion;
• 1 tomato
• 1 carrot;
• 300 g of potatoes;
• 30 g of sun-dried tomatoes;
• 50 g of parsley and dill;
• spices, salt, pepper.

1. Wash the meat, bring to a boil in salted water, remove the noise, add spices.
2. Chop onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, add to meat, cook for 30 minutes.
3. Finely chop the herbs, add to the soup along with the dried tomatoes.
4. Pour couscous, boil, remove from heat.
5. Let it brew for 15-20 minutes.

Peppers stuffed with couscous

Adding meat, fish or seafood to cereals, you can cook delicious main dishes.

• 150 g cereals;
• 250 ml of chicken stock;
• 4 bell peppers;
• 1 onion;
• 30 g of olive oil;
• 1 small zucchini;
• 200 g of tomatoes;
• 40 g parsley;
• 200 g feta cheese;
• spices, salt, pepper.

1. Pour the cereal with hot broth, insist under the lid for 10 minutes.
2. Peppers cut off the tops, carefully remove the seeds. Boil for 5 minutes in salted water, quickly transfer to cold water, remove, dry.
3. Finely chop vegetables and herbs.
4. Simmer onion and zucchini in butter until soft, add tomatoes, parsley, remove from heat after a couple of minutes.
5. Add couscous, feta cheese, spices to the vegetables, mix.
6. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, put on a greased baking sheet, bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Delicious Couscous Salads

Adds satiety to salads, goes well with herbs and vegetables.

Maghreb salad with arugula

• half a glass of cereal;
• glass of water;
• 70 g of arugula;
• 2 cucumbers;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 100 g of radish;
• 40 g parsley;
• 40 g mint;
• 0.5 lemons;
• 2 tsp Sahara;
• a pinch of zira;
• salt pepper.

1. Steam the couscous under the lid.
2. Cut cucumbers, radishes into half rings, tomatoes into cubes. Finely chop the greens.
3. For dressing, mix lemon juice, sugar, zira, salt, pepper.
4. Add vegetables, herbs, mix.
5. Add dressing.

Vegetable salad

• half a glass of cereal;
• glass of water;
• yellow bell pepper;
• red bell pepper;
• 75 g of green onions;
• 20 g parsley;
• 10 g mint;
• 30 g of olive oil;
• spices, salt, pepper.

1. Pour the cereal with boiling water, cover, leave for 7 minutes.
2. Pepper thoroughly peeled from seeds, cut into cubes.
3. Finely chop onion, parsley, mint.
4. In a salad bowl, mix couscous, vegetables, herbs, olive oil.
5. Add spices to taste (oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram), salt and pepper.

Pumpkin salad

• a glass of cereal;
• a glass of chicken stock;
• 300 g baked pumpkin;
• half a glass of white wine;
• 1 lemon
• 100 g feta cheese;
• 75 g of arugula;
• half a red onion;
• 50 g crackers;
• a pinch of sage;
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar;
• salt pepper.

1. Squeeze the juice from the lemon, after removing the zest.
2. Mix lemon juice with wine, heat.
3. Add sage to the grits, pour hot broth and a mixture of wine with juice.
4. Cover, leave for 10 minutes.
5. Cut the pumpkin into cubes, add to the porridge, mix.
6. Cut the onion into thin half rings, feta cheese into cubes, tear the arugula with your hands.
7. In a salad bowl, mix couscous with onions, feta cheese and herbs.
8. Add vinegar, mix.
9. Sprinkle with croutons before serving.

How to cook couscous in a slow cooker for breakfast

Porridge is great for breakfast. It is easily absorbed, for a long time leaves a feeling of satiety. In a slow cooker, the cooking process is even more simplified.

Ham and Cheese Recipe

Those who don’t like sweet cereal will have Moroccan couscous for breakfast.

• a glass of cereal;
• glass of water;
• 50 g of cheese;
• 50 g ham;
• 2 tbsp. l olive oil;
• salt, spices.

1. Pour oil into the multicooker bowl, turn on the “Steam” mode for 10 minutes, after heating add herbs and spices to taste. Boil for a couple of minutes.
2. Pour in water, salt, let it boil.
3. Pour couscous, turn on the “Preheat” mode for 7 minutes.
4. Cut cheese into cubes, ham into long strips.
5. After 7 minutes, add to the porridge, close the lid of the multicooker, turn off the appliance, leave for 5 minutes to let the cheese melt.

Delicious option with raisins and apple.

• a glass of couscous;
• a glass of milk;
• 25 g butter;
• 1 tbsp. l honey;
• 1 tbsp. l raisins;
• 1 tbsp. l nuts
• 1 tbsp. l pumpkin or sunflower seeds;
• cinnamon;
• salt.

1. Pour milk into the multicooker bowl, add a pinch of salt, turn on the “Steam” mode, let the milk boil.
2. Pour a glass of cereal, mix, add butter, honey, cinnamon.
3. Turn on the “Preheat” mode, leave for 7 minutes.
4. Add raisins, nuts and seeds to the finished porridge.

Couscous with nuts and dried fruits for dessert

Such a delicious and healthy dessert is worth trying for adults and children.

• a glass of couscous;
• 2 glasses of water;
• 25 g butter;
• 100 g of dried fruit;
• 100 g of nuts;
• 1 tbsp. l honey;
• 2 tbsp. l coconut flakes;
• a pinch of salt.

1. Pour the cereal with salted water, leave for 7 minutes under the lid.
2. Rinse, chop your favorite dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots, cranberries, raisins, cherries, figs, currants, strawberries, etc.).
3. Finely chop the nuts with a knife.
4. Put couscous in a bowl, add butter, honey, dried fruits, nuts, coconut, mix.
5. Arrange in a bowl, pour with condensed milk, garnish with fresh fruit.

What is useful couscous

He contains:

• Vitamin A. Nourishes the skin, hair, nails, strengthens the immune system.
• Potassium. Positive effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels.
• Iron. Important for anemia.
• Phosphorus. Useful for the formation of strong teeth and bones.
• Copper. Increases hemoglobin level.

Couscous reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood, and glucose levels increase very slowly, so in small quantities it can be eaten even by people with diabetes. It can be included in the diet for athletes because of the high nutritional value.

There are very few contraindications for use:

• allergies or individual intolerances;
• thyroid disease;
• gluten intolerance.

Training

For cooking, you need a minimum of dishes and ingredients - a pan with a lid, water and cereal. Salted cereal is poured with boiling water, insisted under the lid for 5 minutes. Such a dish does not have a pronounced taste and can quickly get bored, one has many recipes that help to diversify it.

Calorie content

Couscous is very nutritious, its calorie content is 375 kcal / 100 g. Despite this, it is easily digested and satisfies the hunger feeling for a long time.

Useful Tips

1. Unlike many cereals, most children like it because it does not stick together. To make the porridge more airy, wrap a towel with a towel when insisting, and remember the finished dish with a fork.
2. The child can be steamed with hot milk for breakfast. Instead of sugar, you can put honey, berries, fruits or nuts.
3. Couscous is given to children after a year. It has a positive effect on the nervous system, can improve a child’s sleep.
4. To make the porridge more crumbly, add butter to the steamed couscous and loosen it by hand.
5. It goes well with onions, zucchini and zucchini.
6. Spices that enrich the taste of couscous - thyme, oregano, mint, basil, marjoram.
7. To make the spices more flavorful, they are fried in butter and then added to porridge.
8. Absolutely not combined with tarragon.
9. As a side dish for meat, it is better to cook in broth or steamed while the meat is cooked. So the dish will be especially aromatic.
10. Store preferably in a plastic jar.

Couscous is not common in Russia, such as buckwheat or rice, but in vain. It is worth trying at least once. It has a pleasant taste, is combined with any products and, most importantly, is easy to prepare.