I tend to reach for instant couscous when I need a quick side dish to go with curries or any grilled dish. It takes less than 10 minutes to cook depending on the ingredients you use to make the dish.

I have made couscous many times but never thought about its origin until I worked as a chef. People often ask, what is couscous? Couscous is neither a grain nor seed. It’s made from a dry mixture of semolina and water that is rolled into very tiny irregular pieces.

You will find many types of couscous at the grocery store like Moroccan, golden, pearl, and Lebanese couscouses.

Today I am using tri-color couscous as it looks pretty pleasing to the eye.

I also like to add veggies to my couscous to make it more nutritious!

I hope you try this quick couscous recipe and let me know how this turns out for you! You can pair this recipe with my grilled shrimp!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup each small diced yellow onions, carrots, and celery
• 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. veggie base, or chicken base
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup multi color cous cous
• 1 tbsp. each chopped parsley and green onion

Instructions

Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add oil, once the oil is hot add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, cook for a minute.

Then add the pepper and veggie base. Stir well, and add the water. Stir everything well to dissolve the veggie base.

Turn up the heat to medium- high and bring to a boil. Add the couscous, then stir well. Then remove from the heat and cover with lid. Let rest for 10 minutes off heat.

After 10 minutes add parsley and chives. Use a fork to fluff up the cous cous. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl.

I like to serve this as side with a grilled shrimp or chicken. Add a side salad or vegetable dish for a complete dinner!

Serves 4-6

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would like to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!