Make Ahead
Couscous in Paradise
- Serves 8
Author Notes
I am on holidays in Brasil in Paraty, which is a beautiful colonial UNESCO Heritage Site on the coast between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Having lived here for 5 years makes me come back to see and spend some time with my friends. We are only... 26 on holidays together - 8 couples and the rest all children. When we come back from the beach we each take turns to make dinner. Every other day i go to the local food stalls and pick fresh vegetables and fruit and I had a chance to make a couscous salad with a wide variety of fresh produce. I made the couscous as a big salad and served it cold with grilled vegetables and fruit. I picked a HUGE banana leaf (I posted the photo of our group arriving from the beach and me with my banana leaf) and served the Couscous on it - it looked really pretty and fresh. But my camera ran out of battery before I could take the photo of the finished dish so all I have left is the photo I took of the ingredients before I started cooking. I'll try downloading a picture a friend took of the dish afterwards. —Maria Teresa Jorge
Ingredients
- Couscous
-
2 cups
couscous
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2 cups
boiling water
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3 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
salt
-
1 cup
cooked chickpeas
-
2
egg plants in slices and grilled
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2
zucchinis in slices and grilled
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4 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for grilled vegetables
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2
cucmbers cut in small cubes
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2
mangos cut in medium cubes
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1 handful
cilantro leafs chopped roughly
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1 cup
shredded carrot
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2
young spring onions thinly sliced (white and green part)
-
1/2 cup
cashews without salt chopped roughly
- Sauce
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1
orange in juice
-
1
lime only zest
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2 cups
thick yoghurt
-
1
inch of fresh ginger grated
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salt
-
pepper freshly ground
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1
lime juice
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1
garlic clove - green inner part removed
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1 tablespoon
honey
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2 tablespoons
soy sauce
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1/2 cup
mango juice (from squeezing the stone and the fruit around it)
-
1/2 cup
Extra Virgin olive oil
Directions
- Put the couscous in a deep tray. Boil the water with a little salt. Pour the boiling water on top, stir and set aside for 5 minutes (or follow instructions on your package). Fluff up with a fork, allow to cool ann add the olive oil and fluff with your fingers until all granules are seperated.
- Cut the eggplant in slices and put them in a bowl of cold water.
- Cut the zucchini in slices and pat dry with a kitchen tea towel.
- Grill all the zucchini slices and put in a plate. Allow to cool and cut in large pieces. Drizzle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle a little salt, freshly ground pepper and mix well.
- Drain the egg plant and dry the slices very well in a kitchen towel. Grill them and put in a plate. Allow to cool and cut in large pieces. Drizzle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle a little salt, freshly ground pepper and mix well.
- Wash the cucumber and dry. Cut in quarters lenghtwise and then in medium thick slices. Put in a colander and allow to drain.
- Peel the mangoes, cut in medium size cubes. Squeeze the left over mango around the stone to get all the juice left from the fruit to get about 1/2 cup.
- For the sauce: In a blender add the orange juice, mango juice, the grated ginger, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic cut up in 4 pieces and blend until smooth. Add the yoghurt and blend. With the blender running, add zest of lime and the olive oil in a drizzle. Add salt and freshly ground pepper and check seasoning. Cover and chill.
- Put the cooked couscous in a big salad bowl. Add the grilled vegetables, the cooked chickpeas, half the cashews and toss to mix well. Add half the cilantro,2/3 of the mango, all the carrots and cucumber, the sliced spring onions, and toss gently.
- Add half the sauce, toss and mix. Check the seasoning.
- Garnish with the remaining mango, cilantro and cashews, pour the remainder sauce over and serve. If you think it's too much sauce, serve on the side in a bowl.
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