This is a totally cool vegetarian dish that looks great and taste even better. It is a great side dish for all kind of meat, chicken and fish. The Israeli couscous has a distinctive “chewy” texture.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of Israeli couscous
1 medium size carrot, chopped in small size
1/3 cup frozen green peas
1 medium size zucchini, chopped in small size
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a small pot add 2/3 cup of boiling water to Israeli couscous and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Let it simmer until all the water is dry.
In another pot boil the carrot and the frozen peas for 2-3 minutes. Drain and reserve. In the same pot heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the zucchini, the carrot and the green peas.
Stir fry for 2 minutes and mix the cooked Israeli couscous and stir gently.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Did you know that Israeli couscous is also called as Ptitim or Ben-Gurion’s Rice? It is a wheat-based baked pasta resembling rice.
Israeli couscous received the name Ben-Gurion because during the Austerity period in Israel, rice was scarce, and in order to provide the need of the population, whose diet was mainly made of rice. The prime minister, David Ben-Gurion asked the largest food company in Israel, Osem, to come up with a wheat-based substitute to the rice. Therefore Osem came up with ptitim, which is made of hard wheat flour and roasted in an oven. Like pasta, ptitim can be used in many type of dishes in both cold and hot.
