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Cooking Couscous: Steaming Traditional Couscous

The traditional method of cooking couscous (the “real thing,” not the quick cooking variety) is by steaming over a watery stew or over water. The method calls for delicate handling. Bad handling will result in a lumpy and rather stodgy couscous.

Cooks' Note

When using instant quick-cooking couscous, the method is the same but the repeated steaming time is very much reduced, and most people usually steam only twice instead of three times.

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