Do You Know How To Cook Couscous On Stove?

Every culture around the world consumes some form of staple food ranging from grains or cereals, tubers, legume to the lesser common plant products. Within the grain family, rice tops the list as it can be consumed as is once cooked. Other grains are normally milled into coarser meal or finer flour, and processed into other forms of food products.
Couscous is a by-product of the durum wheat semolina grain. It can also be made from other grains although semolina tends to be most common. Traditionally a North African dish, its popularity has spread and is now served on dinner tables of other cultures. Couscous is also the name of the final dish whereby it is cooked and served with meat or vegetables. There are 2 varieties of couscous available, namely the handmade and the instant version. Handmade couscous goes through a more tedious process of preparation as compared to its machine-made cousin of instant couscous.
To know how to cook couscous on stove, firstly identify whether it be the handmade or instant variety as their names hint their cooking times. Aficionados recommend steaming couscous over medium heat as the preferred method on how to cook couscous on stove. It's probably also fool-proof as it lessens the risk of burning couscous over direct heat. Since steaming couscous takes a longer time, ensure there is sufficient amount of steaming liquid. A word to the wise not to cover the pot while steaming couscous as condensation dropping onto the cooking grains may cause mushiness. A solution is to place a tea towel over the pot and then the lid to absorb condensation. Occasionally, fork through the couscous to release the grains and continue to steam until cooked. If couscous is making a more regular appearance in your diet, get an authentic couscous steamer to guarantee fluffy and individual grains, perfection in every mouthful. On the other hand, a multi-layered steamer or a colander in a deep pot performs the same function. In case the holes in the steamer or colander are too large, line it with a folded cheese cloth or muslin cloth and then the couscous to prevent the grains from falling through into the steaming liquid. If you're out of cloths, coffee filters are a good substitute. Steaming couscous atop cooking meats and vegetables results in an easy one-pot cooking method for a hassle-free meal.
Cooking couscous over direct heat is an alternative to the steaming method. Use a heavy-bottom pan or ceramic cookware which can evenly disperse heat. Stir well and ensure every grain is coated in the oil or butter before adding the recommended amount of liquid. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to the lowest flame and cover the pot (remember the tea towel). Most importantly, do not open the pot until the liquid is fully absorbed. Fork through to separate the grains and it's ready to be served. Although cooking over direct heat is quicker than steaming, it tends to produce a lesser volume of cooked couscous.






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