Couscous

Couscous (kuskusu or seksu) is the staple food for much of North Africa, although the cooking method (steaming over a pot of vegetables or meat) is also used throughout West Africa with other grains such as cracked barley or millet. Maghrebin couscous is made from coarsely ground durum wheat rolled into tiny pellets - what we know as semolina. If you want the lightest, fluffiest couscous (as it should be), it is hard to avoid the rather lengthy preparation process. It should ideally be cooked in three steaming stages as follows: