A watercolour of couscous studded with sun-dried tomato, raisins and almonds
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Adapted from Levantine and North African couscous salads, in the form that needs only boiling water

Couscous with sun-dried tomato and almonds

An established dish converted to shelf-stable ingredients. Every substitution is documented below.

How long it keeps

About 6 months, set by Raisins.

Indicative, for planning a build before you buy. The answer for a pack you already own is the best before date printed on it, and that only holds if it has been stored as the label says.

Serves
2
Burners
1
Pans
1
Water
0.3 L
Active
6 min
Total
12 min

Ingredients

Two minutes of burner. That is the entire fuel cost, which on the last of a gas canister makes this dish worth remembering.

Couscous does not cook, it rehydrates. 1.2 times its volume in boiling water, covered, off the heat, five minutes. Commit that ratio to memory and you can make this in any quantity without thinking.

  1. Put the couscous in a bowl or pan with the salt, cumin, raisins and a spoonful of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar.
  2. Pour over 180 ml of boiling water. Cover with a plate. Leave it alone for five minutes: lifting the lid is how you get couscous that is wet on top and hard underneath.
  3. Fork it through to separate the grains.
  4. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, lemon juice and the olive oil stirred in.

The raisins go in at the start on purpose: they plump in the steam and go soft rather than staying chewy.

Serves 2, hot or at ambient temperature, which makes it unusually forgiving about when you actually eat it.

What this was adapted from

Levantine and North African couscous salads, in the form that needs only boiling water

  • a long-simmered broth to steam the couscous over → boiling water and the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes

    Couscous is traditionally steamed over a simmering stew, which is an hour of fuel. Rehydrating it in boiling water with the tomato oil stirred in gives a fraction of the depth honestly -- but the burner is on for two minutes rather than sixty.