Spiced Vegetable Couscous |
spices like cumin and coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, whatever takes your fancy |
vegies like capsicum, sweet potato, tomatoes, onion, shallots |
couscous |
lemon zest and juice |
pine nuts |
Put as much couscous as you want in a bowl (remembering that it swells to about twice its original volume). Add boiling water till it just covers the couscous. Keep an eye on it, and when the water has been absorbed, fluff it up with a fork. If you leave it to sit without fluffing it, it tends to turn into a bowl of lumps.
Bash all the spices together in a mortar and pestle for a bit until you can smell them. Heat some olive oil in a wok and fry the spices for a minute. Then add chopped onion, fry till that's soft, then add the rest of the vegies (diced) and the lemon zest. You can add the pine nuts here if you like, or if you prefer you can toast them at the very beginning and then only add them to the wok when everything else is cooked.
When everything's about ready, tip in the couscous and stir until it's heated through. If it's a bit dry, or needs a bit more taste, add some lemon juice.
Serve with roasted asparagus, or eggplant bake, or a salad, or whatever.
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