Food Fridays: Couscous Salad
Whenever I participate in a potluck dinner or am asked to contribute a dish to a meal shared with friends, I bring along my all-time favorite: couscous salad. It has become so popular among my friends that many actually ask me to specifically bring this dish when they invite me to dinner. This simple recipe is quick, easy to transport, and delicious to eat. Before you try it, let me share the one big secret for a sensational couscous salad: It is crucial to chop all the vegetables as finely as possible. The taste is worth the effort, believe me!
Couscous Salad
250 g couscous
2 Tbsp. cooking oil (I use canola oil)
2 medium-size or 3 small eggplants, finely chopped
2–3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
50–60 ml olive oil
3 scallions, finely chopped
6 tomatoes, finely chopped
1–2 bunches fresh herbs (I use parsley, mint, and cilantro), finely chopped
1 lemon
- Put the couscous in a large bowl and add boiling water until the coucous is completely covered with an additional 1 cm of water. Let soak.
- Heat the cooking oil in a pan and stir-fry the eggplant and garlic. Set aside.
- Add the salt, pepper, and half the olive oil to the couscous and mix with a fork.
- Add the eggplant and garlic mixture, the scallions, the tomatoes, and the herbs and mix well.
- Season to taste with the rest of the olive oil, the juice of the lemon, and more salt and pepper, if needed.
If you like spicy dishes, feel free to add chopped chili peppers or chili flakes or use some chili oil for the seasoning. If you don’t like eggplant, try zucchini instead. For more freshness, add cucumber. The possibilities are virtually endless, so have fun trying out variations of this simple and easy salad!
Posted by former intern Ruth Orli Mosser
