No Tea After 12 // Curried Israeli Couscous with Paneer

Curried Israeli Couscous with Paneer

posted in, Pasta & Salads on Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I have had a bag of Israeli couscous in my cupboard since I came back from my last trip in America, it seems to be a bit easier to source over there. It was probably long overdue its use by date, but i'm going on the same principal as I do with most dried goods, if there's no mold, i'm eatin' it! I especially love the texture of Israeli couscous they're like perfectly round shaped miniature basketball pastas and this was a quick way to use up what I had AND pair it with another favorite...cheese. Hello couscous my name is Paneer and we were meant to be together.

If you haven't come across Paneer before it is an Indian cheese with a soft milky flavor. It comes in either block form or sometimes as curds and after doing a bit of reading I found that you can make it quite easily at home with very few ingredients. For this particular recipe, I used a block from the supermarket which has a texture not unlike halloumi (the cheese that grills!). The toasted couscous and spiced onions give a nice depth to the dish and the coriander and lemon keep it light and fresh.

I happened to make this for lunch when J and I were snowed in during The Best Winter Storm of the Decade (so far) and it made us feel all summery sitting inside our snowglobe watching the winter wonderland outside. When summer finally does make an appearance I might add some fresh green beans or even some baby spinach. It would make an equally great side dish to any grilled meat but especially something like chicken tikka with its slightly crispy burnished edges accompanied by a fresh cucumber and onion salad. And beer of course, Tiger beer.

Curried Israeli Couscous

1 cup / 115g Israeli or giant couscous
1 1/4 cup / 295ml chicken stock
1 small red onion, sliced into half moons
1 Tablespoon butter, divided in half
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garam masala or other mild curry combination
1/2 cup / 50g paneer cheese, cut into 2-inch triangles
handful fresh coriander
handful cashew nuts, toasted
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus half a lemon for slicing and strewing over the salad
salt and pepper to taste

Fry paneer slices in a small dry pan for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Keep warm.

In another small frying pan, heat half of the butter and olive oil on medium heat. Fry the onions until starting to soften, about 8 minutes. Add garam masala and let cook down a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, toast couscous over medium heat in remaining butter until it becomes fragrant and golden brown. Add chicken stock, season well, and cover. Cook until just al dente, being very careful not to overcook as mushy couscous is just sad. Mine took about 8 minutes, but each brand will be slightly different. When the couscous is cooked it will still be slightly saucy from the chicken stock and the butter, this will help to dress the dish later so don't worry if it doesn't look completely absorbed.

Combine onions and couscous, top with paneer slices and cashew nuts. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice and garnish with coriander. I like to add some chunks of lemon to the dish to sqeeze for an extra lemon burst.

Serves 2 as lunch, or 4 as a side.

Over to you....

Israeli /Pearl cous cous is so hard to find here in the UK! I’ll try online.

I’ve never even heard of Israeli couscous - does it taste the same as regular couscous?

Hi Ryan - try Melbury & Appleton I found some to by online there. Hi Casie, yes it does taste very similar, it’s made with semolina flour and texturally is much like pasta. So you can really put it with any flavor combo. Try it out!