I personally think that pearl couscous is more interesting to serve in a salad than plain as a starch side dish. This is a perfect salad to bring on a picnic.
The first time I was introduced to pearl couscous was about 8-10 years ago, and I remember how it wasn’t easy to get it in regular grocery stores in Hong Kong. We had to get it from Israeli specialty stores, which were hard to find back then.
Pearl couscous has the same ingredients as regular pasta, which is usually made of durum wheat semolina, but because of its shape and size, it gives salad more chew than regular couscous, which can be messy for kids!
I personally think that pearl couscous is more interesting to serve in a salad than plain as a starch side dish. This is a perfect salad to bring on a picnic. You can also serve it as a side dish together with grilled meat or add edamame, chickpeas, or your favorite legumes for vegetarian peeps.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pearl couscous
- 3-4 pieces of sundried tomatoes in oil, cut into bitesize pieces
- 1 small handful of pitted kalamata olives, split in half
- 100 g feta cheese, cut into bitesize pieces or crumbled
- 1 small handful of curly parsley leaves, chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Juice of half a small lemon or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (or more depending on your preference)
- 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
- 1/8 tsp sweet paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe Preparation
Pearl couscous:
Cook following package directions, then set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, break up couscous and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Add sundried tomatoes, olives, feta, onion, parsley, spices, and vinegar or lemon juice. Toss well and adjust taste with salt and pepper. Serve cold.
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