Everyday cooking
Couscous salad with peas and radishes
Couscous is served with beans, peas, yellow pepper and generous parsley.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Servings / pieces
- 4
- Topic
- Everyday cooking
Couscous absorbs hot water quickly and makes a straightforward base for a colourful salad. This version combines kidney beans, peas, yellow pepper and radishes. Use plenty of parsley but chop it finely, keeping coarse stems out of the dish. Mix the dressing into the still-lukewarm couscous first. Add the crunchy vegetables afterwards, or arrange them around the grains as shown in the serving example. That lets diners combine individual ingredients to taste. A broad platter is more convenient for this arrangement than a narrow bowl, and gives the dressed grains space to cool evenly.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Soak couscous
Put couscous and salt into a heatproof bowl. Add boiling water according to the packet, cover and leave for about 5 minutes. Fluff thoroughly with a fork.
- 02
Cook peas
Boil peas for 3–4 minutes, drain and briefly rinse cold. Rinse kidney beans in a sieve and drain well. Neither ingredient should carry excess water into the salad.
- 03
Cut vegetables
Remove pepper seeds and dice finely. Trim radishes and halve or quarter according to size. Pull parsley leaves from coarse stems, wash, dry and chop finely.
- 04
Fold in dressing
Mix oil, lemon juice and pepper. Fold through the lukewarm couscous and cool for 10 minutes. Then mix in about half the parsley.
- 05
Arrange salad
Gently combine couscous with beans, peas and pepper, or mound it on a platter with these ingredients around it. Add radishes, scatter remaining parsley and adjust seasoning.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Follow the packet water ratio
Instant couscous is precooked differently by different manufacturers. Packet guidance therefore takes priority over a rigid recipe quantity. Too much water makes the grains soft and compact. Judge after soaking and add extra hot water by tablespoons only if necessary.
Add crunchy vegetables late
Radishes keep their fresh texture better when added after cooling. Very juicy vegetables, such as tomatoes, should be deseeded or added just before eating. Offer lemon wedges for extra acidity at the table instead of making the entire salad very sharp.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I use bulgur?
Yes, but it usually needs longer cooking and a different water ratio. Prepare according to its packet before combining with the dressing as described here.
Which other beans suit it?
White beans or chickpeas are also useful. Rinse and drain them; fold larger beans gently to avoid crushing them.
