Couscous with bell peppers is healthy and light and it’s ideal for those busy days you need a quick, simple and healthy meal. Couscous commonly made with durum wheat semolina is a type of pasta but similar to rice in its use. You can use it to replace rice in most dishes e.g Jollof rice and fried rice. On its own, it is quite bland just like rice.
I didn’t like couscous the first time I ate it as bland airline food but it raised my curiosity no doubt. A staple in North Africa and eaten in Northern Nigeria, it is a good substitute or addition to rice and pasta on the menu.
With couscous, you can go rustic or gourmet, main course or dessert, savoury or sweet, just give your creativity free rein. A lot of people eat instant couscous which tastes good and is less burdensome to prepare because it is already cooked. Traditionally, raw couscous will be steamed in a special pot called a tagine.
It is one of the quickest ingredients to cook, think mid-week dinner with leftover tomato stew, tomato gravy, curry sauce and dinner is ready in 5-10 minutes. How awesome is that?
To prepare Couscous with bell peppers
1 cup couscous 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon turmeric (kurkum) 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup red bell pepper 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper 1/2 cup green bell pepper 2 scotch bonnet, chopped (ata rodo) 1 teaspoon teaspoon thyme 1 cup water 2 seasoning cube 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Put couscous in a bowl, add salt and turmeric, stir and set aside.
Chop red, yellow and green bell pepper, onions, scotch bonnet and tomatoes.
Put vegetable oil in a pot and place over medium heat.
When hot, add onions and fry until soft.
Add red, yellow, green peppers and scotch bonnet.
Add thyme, stir, add water and seasoning cubes.
Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
Pour into the couscous. Cover with foil or a tight bowl cover to seal. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Open and add chopped tomatoes and raisins.
Fluff with a fork and serve with tomato gravy or Nigerian tomato stew etc.
Note
- You can add butter or oil before fluffing.
If you enjoyed my Bell peppers with Couscous, you will also enjoy my Vegetable couscous, Yellow rice, Turmeric yellow rice, Macaroni with Vegetable and Easy one pot Nigerian fried rice.
Couscous with bell peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric (kurkum)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ½ cup red bell pepper
- ½ cup yellow bell pepper
- ½ cup green bell pepper
- 2 scotch bonnet (chopped (ata rodo))
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup water
- 2 seasoning cube
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup raisins optional
Instructions
- Put couscous in a bowl, add salt and turmeric, stir and set aside.
- Chop red, yellow and green bell pepper, onions, scotch bonnet and tomatoes.
- Put vegetable oil in a pot and place over medium heat.
- When hot, add onions and fry until soft.
- Add red, yellow, green peppers and scotch bonnet.
- Add thyme, stir, add water and seasoning cubes.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour into the couscous. Cover with foil or a tight bowl cover to seal. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
- Open and add chopped tomatoes and raisins.
- Fluff with a fork and serve with tomato gravy or Nigerian tomato stew etc.
Notes
- You can add butter or oil before fluffing.
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I am Ganiru, a wife, a mother, a food blogger, a chef, an author and an accountant. I love to cook and write about food, especially Nigerian and afro-centric food...