Golden couscous with apricots & crispy onions
By Cassie Best
Jazz up your grains with fried onions, mint and coriander, a touch of fruit and spices
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Prep:15 mins
Cook:20 mins
- Serves 6
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
-
kcal 403
-
fat 8g
-
saturates 1g
-
carbs 67g
-
sugars 11g
-
fibre 6g
-
protein 12g
-
salt 0.6g
Ingredients
- 500g couscous
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100g dried apricots, chopped
- 3 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- about 500ml vegetable or sunflower oil
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- small bunch coriander, chopped
- small handful mint, chopped, a few leaves reserved
Method
Boil a kettle. Tip the couscous into a large bowl, crumble in the stock cube, then add the turmeric, cinnamon and apricots, and season well. Pour over 500ml boiling water, give everything a quick stir, then cover with cling film and leave for 5 mins.
Put half the sliced onions in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and the sugar, pour over enough boiling water to cover and leave to steep for 10 mins. (This will remove some of the onions’ acidity and turn them a beautiful bright pink colour.)
Heat enough oil to come about 5cm up the side of a deep saucepan. Once hot, fry the remaining onions in batches for 1-2 mins until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.
Use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Drain the steeped onions and stir through the couscous with the lemon zest and juice, olive oil and herbs. Tip onto a serving platter or bowl and scatter with the crispy onions and mint leaves.
