A tasty Couscous salad with warming spices, dried fruits, and fresh herbs. Perfect with meat, fish, or vegetables or as a light lunch, at BBQs or picnics.
Add the couscous to a large bowl and add the boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave to rehydrate for 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the brand.
200 g couscous
Fluff up the couscous with a fork
Stir in the dried fruits, drained chickpeas, fresh herbs and serve.
50 g dried apricots, 50 g sultanas, 25 g Dried Cranberries, 25 g Pomegranate Seeds, 400 g chickpeas, 15 g Fresh Mint
Notes
Ingredient Notes
Couscous - you can use any variety of couscous. I prefer the smaller grains or regular couscous but you could also use other varieties. See below for more information.
Orange juice - use fresh smooth orange juice.
Dried Apricots - common in Moroccan and Middle Eastern cooking.
Dried Cranberries, sometimes called Craisins - dried cranberries bring a slightly tart flavour which helps to balance the sweetness.
Sultanas - use sultanas rather than raisins or currants.
Chickpeas - use chickpeas in water and not brine. Rinse and drain the chickpeas before adding. Dried chickpeas need to be rehydrated overnight before use.
Pomegranate seeds - these are optional but add lovely colour and texture.
Fresh Mint - fresh herbs rather than dried herbs are needed in this recipe.
Cumin powder - a warm spice often used in Middle Eastern cooking.
Tumeric - this will give your fruity couscous salad a lovely golden colour.
Cinnamon - helps to give the couscous a sweet and slightly citrus flavour.
Variations
Pine nuts (toasted)
Pistachios
Cashew nuts (shells removed)
Flaked Almonds
Fresh parsley or corinade (cilantro) instead of fresh mint.
Red Bell Peppers, diced.
Storage
You can store in the fridge for 3 days. Store it in a sealed box to prevent the aroma of the spices from tainting the other food. It's great for lunch the next day and sometimes can taste even better once the flavours have had time to infuse.Couscous doesn't freeze well.