Sticky couscous? Stop making this mistake when fluffing your couscous

Have you ever been to Morocco and eaten couscous? Then you know: you have no idea what you’re tasting. Why is the couscous there so perfect, while the couscous you make at home always turns into a sticky mess? Probably because you don’t fluff the couscous properly. 

Couscous isn’t exactly the easiest product to prepare. The right water-to-grain ratio, the correct temperature and the herbs are all super important if you want to serve reasonably good couscous. It’s not comparable to cooking pasta, for example. But if you don’t fluff your couscous properly, you can pretty much write off a successful result right away.

This is how you fluff your couscous

Good couscous is nice and grainy. The grains don’t stick together, but lie loosely in the bowl or on the plate in front of you. Do you always use a fork to fluff your couscous? Put it back in your cutlery drawer, because that’s where the mistake lies. To fluff couscous, you need nothing more than the forks you always have with you: your hands. First, wait until the couscous has ‘steamed off’. Then place the couscous on a baking sheet with high sides, on a tea towel. Sprinkle the grains with some water or olive oil – the latter adds extra flavor – and run your hands through the couscous. Let the grains glide through your fingers so they separate from one another. And voilà: couscous just as it should be.

The most delicious couscous recipes

Now that you know how to make fluffy couscous, of course you won’t want anything else. So head into the kitchen and get started. How about a Mediterranean chicken stew with couscous, for example: a recipe by the one and only Martha Stewart. As if everything good from Mediterranean cuisine comes together in one dish. Or go for a pastrami sandwich with ras el hanout, couscous and Amstel herbs. For when you want to give your lunch a big, fat upgrade.

Also read:

• Bulgur, freekeh or couscous: what are the differences?
• How do you make really good couscous?
• Here’s how to stock your Moroccan pantry

Source: Tasting Table