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I love Israeli couscous though I wish it were available in whole grain or whole wheat varieties.

I totally messed up a HUGE pot of it just last night! Very disappointed because although I have had AMAZING dishes at restaurants with this ingredient, my first time cooking it on my own was a disaster. Sigh. I tried to cook it by adding a little stock at a time and letting the couscous absorb it. It burnt into an inedible mess.

Aaugh. I went to two stores to find israeli couscous yesterday. Neither had it. I swear I've seen it in the most unlikely places, but not at my local natural groceries, evidently. Actually, I've never seen it in a box before; just bulk.

i prefer to boil & drain like any other pasta. i also toast it dry or with a little olive oil before boiling, just until most of the bits have turned a little brown. you can burn it this way though, so stir often.

I think it IS available in whole wheat form...I've seen it anyway online. I have been meaning to order it.

I love Israeli couscous largely because it doesn't have to be drained. Kittystockings, try it again just like you'd cook pasta--but I think just use a proportional amount of stock, I think it's 1 1/3 cups of fluid to a cup of pasta. The box should say!

*disclaimer*
This is not what we (Israelis) call couscous. This is "ptitim", and the story behind it is about 60 years old, the first prime minister of Israel, in a period of low economic, the price of rice was high and he asked "Osem" to create a replacement. so they came out with that.

The real Couscous is made of semolina and being cooked in a special steam metal pot. in order to be fluffy and tasty it should be cooked something like 2-3 time each time for 20 minutes. but it's VERY tasty. you can also make it with whole wheat semolina.

anyhow, it's tasty, and the Osem's couscous is better with fried onion :)
I think that's all :D

www.evilrona.com

EvilRonA - wondered about that. This stuff doesn't strike me as couscous at all - far more dense than any I've known, with a chewier, mildly nutty flavor. I do, however, love it, and bought some that Trader Joe's regularly carries when they ran out of the "regular" kind that I normally buy. We never went back! I burnt it the first time, too (though just the bottom - I was able to salvage the portion that didn't stick to the bottom), so now I add the recommended amount of water but don't let it sit/simmer as long as it says to - I kind of babysit it, and check the pan after the first 5 minutes or so - usually takes about half the instructed time to absorb. Delicious under just about anything, and great alternative to rice!

I found a place to get a whole wheat version:

http://tinyurl.com/8yq9mu

I like Israeli cous cous but I don't think it is a good substitute at all for faro. Faro has a much more toothsome texture and as a whole grain, is much healthier. Kashi would make a better substitute.

I love this! I buy that exam same brand from Safeway--they keep it in the kosher section.

Another Israeli chiming in...

My favorite way of making "Israeli Couscous" (aka ptitim) is to fry some onions in olive oil, add the (dry) couscous into the pot and fry (stirring constantly) for a few more minutes until they become sort of multicolored - just make sure to add the water/stock before they burn. As far as I remember it's 1 cup liquid to 1 cup couscous - and I usually just spice with salt and pepper to keep it simple. Then it's about 6 minutes of leaving it partially covered and poking at it once in a while to make sure it's not sticking, and then turning the heat off and letting it sit for at least another 5 minutes. Super fast and easy.

This pairs wonderfuly with my grandmother's recipe for green beans in onions and tomato sauce, or any other hearty veggie saucy goodness.

Yay. I have Israeli cousous and ground sumac, neither of which I've ever used. Now I know what to do with them.

I ADORE Trader Joe's Harvest Blend with Israeli Couscous. Like akostalas, I prefer to boil it like pasta in water and then drain. With the Harvest Blend, I whip up a dressing with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs, and toss the grains with dressing and steamed veggies.

But also, Israeli couscous is perfect for a different version of the famous Italian dish that children eat--I forget the name, but basically pasta, butter, cheese, pepper. yum!