Couscous with Sesame-Roasted Carrots + Feta

Name: Couscous with Sesame-Roasted Carrots + Feta
Yield: Serves 4 as a side
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup [240 ml] low-sodium chicken stock, “brown” vegetable stock, or water; 1 tsp red chilli flakes, such as Aleppo, Maras, or Urfa; ½ tsp red chilli flakes, such as Aleppo, Maras, or Urfa; ¼ cup [60 ml] rice wine vinegar; 1 shallot (2 oz [60 g]), thinly sliced; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp white sesame seeds; ¼ cup [30 g] crumbled feta; 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley; ¾ cup [135 g] couscous; 1 Tbsp maple syrup or 2 tsp honey; 1 tsp black sesame seeds; 2 Tbsp chopped mint; 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil; 1 lb [455 g] carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise; 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp ground black pepper; Fine sea salt; 8 garlic cloves, peeled

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a side

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Flavor Equation

By Nik Sharma

Published 2020

About

While filming a documentary for PBS in Oakland, my friend Jessica Jones (who produced the video) brought in a delicious couscous salad studded with roasted carrots and a bunch of fresh green herbs. At the time, we had just moved into our home and the furniture hadn’t arrived yet, so we squatted on the bare wood floors and ravished that dish rather quickly. It ranks as one of the most flavorful meals I’ve eaten. I might be a little biased because I think