Recipe: Cous Cous

Both regular cous cous and instant cous cous should be prepared in the same way - steaming the grains to make them light and fluffy.

Ingredients

• 500g instant cous cous
• 90g diced ghee or butter
• ground sea salt

Method

1. Line a steamer saucepan top section with muslin cloth.
2. Put the cous cous in the steamer.
3. Cover with cold water, stir with a balloon whisk and strain the water off through the muslin and holes.
4. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the cous cous to swell, stirring occassionally with the whisk to seperate grains.
5. Place the steamer over a saucepan of boiling water or a pan of food being cooked.
6. The base of the steamer must not touch the top of the water.
7. Cook until steam rises through the grains and then cover and steam for 10 minutes.
8. Fork through cous cous occassionally to steam it evenly.
9. Add the ghee and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
10. Sprinkle with 125ml (1/4 cup) of cold water.
11. Stir again with the whisk to seperate grains.
12. At this stage, cous cous can be covered with a damp cloth and left several hours if necessary.
13. About 10 minutes before you want to serve the cous cous, return the steamer over the boiling water or pan of food.
14. Do not cover it and fluff up with a fork.
15. Once the 10 minutes have passed, turn the cous cous out into a bowl, stir well with the whisk and serve.