Non-Quick Cooking Couscous - Is that a real thing anywhere?
To me a big part of the fun of cooking meals traditional elsewhere is to do it "right". So I'd like to try to approximate using a couscousier as I play with my new North African ingredients. Almost all of the couscous I've been able to find (even on Amazon) is either labeled "quick cooking", or there are instructions on the box that say basically to add water, bring it to a boil, cover and let it sit for five minutes. I've found some couscous that doesn't offer any instructions, leaving it a mystery, but nothing that clearly says, "This is the real stuff, it takes time to cook." There is even couscous in the bulk aisle of my local grocery that has no instructions. I thought, "AHA! This must be the stuff". I called the company to be sure, but alas, same quick-cooking stuff.
I look at this recipe though Traditional North African Couscous and it seems pretty clear that this recipe does not refer to a product that can be made adequate by treating it like Stove-Top Stuffing. What gives? Is there such a thing as non-quick cooking couscous? If so, can you tell me how to get a hold of some?
Best Answer
Wikipedia implies that there is a difference between fast cooking cous-cous sold in western markets and the traditional product:
The couscous that is sold in most Western supermarkets has been pre-steamed and dried, the package directions usually instruct to add 1.5 measures of boiling water or stock and butter to each measure of couscous and to cover tightly for 5 minutes. The couscous swells and within a few minutes it is ready to fluff with a fork and serve. Pre-steamed couscous takes less time to prepare than regular couscous, most dried pasta, or dried grains (such as rice).
According to Fine Cooking, you can get moister and more fluffy result with the traditional steaming method, even with quick cooking cous cous.
If you want the traditional product, you could go back to basics and make your own, as described by this NY Times article and video.
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How do you cook non instant couscous?
It's traditional to steam the couscous over the simmering broth, but it's fine (and probably easier the first few times), to steam it over boiling water and to deal with the broth and vegetables separately. To start, cover the granules with cold water, swish them around, and then immediately pour off the water.Can you buy pre cooked couscous?
You add the couscous before the water has boiled.The couscous we buy at the market today is pre cooked. That means it's pretty much ready to go right out of the box\u2013one of the main reasons we love it so much.Is all couscous instant?
Couscous is made from semolina wheat and tastes nutty and sweet when cooked. The couscous that most of us pick up at the local grocery store is actually instant couscous, which is couscous that has already been steamed and dried for us.Can you eat couscous without cooking?
No need to boil water to prep this no-cook couscous salad! Couscous, which is a type of very tiny semolina pasta, really just needs to be rehydrated before serving.How to Cook Couscous
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Answer 2
I bought a bag of couscous from a middle-eastern market in Dallas and it is the non-instant type. I have no idea how to cook it but I made an Indian sweet with it, eyeballing the amount of liquid as I cooked (it took almost 2 cups of liquid for a cup of couscous). It is tedious and I am still looking for the appropriate amount of liquid to couscous ratio but I just wanted to know that yes, there is a non-instant type of couscous. It is tedious only to the extent of finding out the right amount of liquid to use but it cooks quite easily. May be not as quickly as the instant variety but I found it to be more delicious than the quick-cooking type.
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