Pearl Couscous Salad, Trail Version
Pearl couscous boiled at camp, cooled, then dressed with lemon powder and olive oil.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 138
- protein
- 15 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 400 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.
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Pearl couscous | 3/4 cup | israeli couscous, the big round kind |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 tsp | powder or a crushed cube |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Citric acid or powdered lemon | 1/2 tsp | stands in for the juice and zest |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 2 tbsp | chopped small at home |
| Dried bell pepper and onion flakes | 3 tbsp | |
| Dried parsley and mint | 1 tsp each | |
| Black olives | 1 oz | the vacuum pouch kind, not a jar |
| Parmesan | 2 tbsp grated | replaces the feta |
| Garlic powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | instead of honey |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Boil 400 ml of water with the bouillon, then stir in the couscous and the dried peppers, onion, and tomato.
- Simmer eight to ten minutes, stirring often so the pearls do not weld to the pot bottom.
- Pull it off the stove when the water is nearly gone. Any leftover water gets drunk, not dumped.
- Let the pot sit uncovered ten minutes. Warm is fine. Hot makes the oil taste flat.
- Stir in the oil, citric acid, sugar, garlic powder, herbs, olives, and parmesan. Salt and pepper last.
The original is a fridge salad: crisp cucumber, raw onion, feta, fresh lemon. None of that travels. What survives is the structure — chewy pearls, something acidic, something salty, and enough oil to hold it together. Sun-dried tomatoes and dried peppers rehydrate in the cooking water, citric acid does the work of the lemon, and hard parmesan replaces the feta without needing a cooler.
The rest matters. Pearl couscous straight off the boil is gummy and refuses to take on dressing, so give it ten minutes to firm up before the oil goes in. The sugar is not for sweetness — it rounds off the acid the same way the honey did.
Packing
Couscous, bouillon, vegetables, herbs, and spices premix into one bag. Oil in a bottle, olives and cheese in their own pouches so nothing leaks into the dry mix.
Variations
- A foil packet of tuna or chicken turns the side dish into a full dinner.
- Skip the parmesan and it is vegan; the olives and oil carry it fine.
- In hot weather, cook it at breakfast and carry it in a jar until lunch.
https://blog.9jakitchen.com/pearl-couscous-salad-fresh-flavourful-recipe