Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pearl Couscous Salad with Fresh Mango, Pine nuts & Cilantro




This is a hearty salad that can substitute as a whole meal.  This recipe is inspired by giada de laurentiis from www.foodnetwork.com. She has inspired a lot of recipes I have experimented with. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger 
  • 1tbsp garlic & chili diced
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • Red and Green pepper diced
  • Corn kernels
  • Carrots diced
  • Peas 

Seasoning:

  • 1/4 tsp curry powder
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Paprika
  • Clove and Cinnamon sticks
  • Fennel seed
  • Saffron threads
  • Bay leaf

Garnish:

  • 1 large cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup fresh mango diced (about 2 average sized mangoes)
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Toasted Pine nuts

Method:

  1. Cook the Pearl Couscous (follow cooking instructions on package).
  2. In a large wok heat up some oil and add the bay leaf, cloves & cinnamon sticks until the mix is fragrant. Add the fennel seeds, saffron & stir well.  
  3. Add all the vegetables along with the garlic, ginger & chilies. Saute for few minutes, then add the salt, pepper, curry powder & paprika.
  4. Don't over cook the vegetables they should be  crunchy.
  5. Mix in the cooked couscous. 
  6. Just before serving, toss in the cucumber, mango, pine nuts & cilantro.
    • This salad can be served warm or at room temperature.

5 comments:

  1. One day I was thinking what to make for dinner and I came across this recipe! The best part of it was that I had all the ingredients in the house and when my husband tried it he absolutely loved it. A great, unique and tasty recipe! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Yay! thank you for the feed back and hope you can try out many more recipes.

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  3. A great flavorful recipe indeed! I wouldn't have tried this without inspiration from your blog. It came out tasty, really loved it :) thanks for sharing!

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  4. Thanks so much!! Cant wait to try this. Can you please suggest a soup and side to go with this? I am planning to make this for a party.

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    Replies
    1. I am so sorry for late reply! A falafel is a great dish u can pair with this.

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