Recipe: Health freaks will love this Moroccan couscous salad
Moroccan couscous salad is a vibrant dish rooted in North African cuisine. It combines spices, vegetables, and couscous, a granular North African semolina. This vegetarian and eggless dish is perfect as a refreshing meal or side, adding color and flavor to any table. With its cultural heritage and rich ingredient mix, it's widely enjoyed. Let's start cooking.
Gather the following ingredients
For this salad, gather one cup of uncooked couscous, two cups vegetable broth, one cup of diced cucumber, one cup of halved cherry tomatoes, half a cup of diced red onion, one-fourth cup each of chopped mint and parsley leaves, juice of one lemon (two tablespoons), two tablespoons olive oil, and half a teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper.
Preparing the couscous
In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in the couscous, then remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let it stand for five minutes so the couscous fully absorbs the broth. Fluff with a fork to separate the grains, then let it cool to room temperature before incorporating it into the salad.
Mixing in freshness
In a large mixing bowl, gently mix the room-temperature couscous with the freshly diced cucumber, juicy halved cherry tomatoes, and crisp diced red onion. To this blend, add the aromatic chopped mint and parsley leaves. This step is crucial as it infuses the salad with a burst of freshness and a delightful crunch, enhancing its visual appeal and elevating the overall flavor profile.
Dressing for flavor
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Continue to whisk or shake, if using a jar, until the mixture becomes a well-combined emulsion. This dressing, once ready, will be drizzled over the couscous salad to enhance its flavors and ensure an even coating on all ingredients.
Bringing it all together
Drizzle the freshly whisked dressing over the couscous and vegetables in the bowl. With care, toss the mixture to ensure every couscous grain is evenly coated with the zesty dressing. Mix in all the ingredients thoroughly, yet gently, to maintain their shape and texture. This step is key to creating a salad where flavors are well-distributed without compromising the ingredients' integrity.
