I'm been on a pseudo-Moroccan kick lately and have been trying my hand at couscous a little bit. Couscous might look like quinoa and I want to assume that it will cook like quinoa and lentils, which I often cook in a rice cooker. They're not quite the same, though. Couscous isn't actually a type of grain, legume, or barley, like rice, quinoa, and lentils are. It's actually a pasta. So, it's going to cook in a lot less time with a lot less water. Because of this, you're going to want to balance it out with quick-cooking fruits and vegetables to match the cooking time. Or you're going to want to pair it with crunchier produce that you're not going to want completely softened by the time that the couscous is done cooking. I'm still working out exactly what I do and don't like in a couscous dish. But it's pretty delicious seasoned with tahini, honey, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cloves, salt, and pepper. I'm also pretty fond of pairing couscous with cauliflower and a variety of poblano or other peppers. Although, as always, feel free to mix and match your own favorite fruits, vegetables, and spices!
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Variations of Cauliflower Couscous
I tend to use my rice cooker for a wide variety of dishes that are not rice. If anything, I'd say that lentils and quinoa cook better in a rice cooker than rice does. I've started branching out into couscous more lately. Although you can substitute a number of grains and just adjust the water-to-legume ratio. I tend to toss in a little bit more water than the recipe typically would call for just to account for the amount of extra produce that I toss in. Although try not to add too much water or the consistency can get a little gummy, especially with couscous. Toasting it on the stove a little bit can help crisp it up a little bit more, though, if this happens!
This Cauliflower Couscous consists of poblano pepper, garlic, Moroccan & pearl couscous, tahini, honey, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and cloves. Although you can mix and match your own favorite type of couscous and seasonings.
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients, top with spices, and then add the couscous and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the couscous is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach Teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
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