Jamaican Couscous
Couscous, black beans, and warm spice, off the heat in ten minutes.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 96
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 700 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dry couscous | 3 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Dried black beans, instant or flaked | 1 1/2 cups | canned works at the car; two 15 oz cans, drained |
| Freeze-dried corn | 1 cup | or one 15 oz can, drained |
| Dried red bell pepper | 1/2 cup | |
| Canned green chilies | 4 oz | the can is worth the weight |
| Mango drink powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for a can of nectar |
| Vegetable bouillon | 2 cubes | |
| Olive oil | 2 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Allspice | 1 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
| Cayenne | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried scallions | 3 tbsp | |
| Dried cilantro | 1 tbsp | a fresh bunch if you drove in |
Method
- Bring 700 ml of water to a boil with the bouillon, oil, garlic powder, and mango powder stirred in.
- Add the dried beans, corn, bell pepper, and the chilies with their liquid. Bring it back to a boil and hold it there two minutes so the vegetables start to take on water.
- Pull the pot off the heat. Stir in the spices, then the couscous, all at once.
- Lid on. Ten minutes, no peeking, no flame.
- Fork it apart and stir the scallions and cilantro through.
Couscous does not cook, it swells. That is the whole reason this scales to eight people on one burner: you boil once, dump, cover, and walk away while it does the work off the heat. The residual heat in the pot is enough, so a stove that would never simmer eight servings evenly can still feed a group.
The original called for canned broth, canned mango nectar, fresh peppers and scallions, and a dutch oven over coals. Dried vegetables and mango drink powder get the same sweet-and-savory base without hauling three cans of liquid. Allspice, ginger, and cinnamon go in after the heat is off; they scorch fast and lose their edge if they boil.
Packing
Couscous, dried vegetables, drink powder, bouillon, and every spice go in one bag; they all hit the pot dry. Oil, chilies, and herbs ride separately.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken stirred in at the end pushes protein past 25 g.
- Double the cayenne and add a pinch of dried thyme if you want it closer to jerk seasoning.
- Squeeze half a lime over each bowl at the car; it wakes the whole thing up.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/jamaican_couscous-2430.asp