Alternatives to cous cous?

Wurly

HI guys,

As a coeliac, I need an alternative for cous cous.

I used to make a recipe for roasted red peppers that were stuffed with mushrooms, cous cous, goats cheese and red pesto.. But alas, as I cannot eat the cous cous anymore, I need an alternative.

Rice goes really dry and doesn't really go with the pesto. What about polenta? Would this work? I haven't eaten it before so not sure of its properties...

If anyone can give us a birro help here, that would be great. Thanks.:)

Dinkie

I have just discovered Quinoa.

It looks a little like cous cous, but its not pasta based and tastes slightly stronger and nuttier. You can get it in health food shops anywhere.... just don't do what I did. I have been pulling my hair out cooking quinoa flakes for the past couple weeks. It turns out like porrige and I couldn't workout where I was going wrong until I discovered quinoa grain!

Moral: make sure you buy quinoa grain.:D

Wurly

Ha - thanks. Yes, I know what you mean about Quinoa. It nearly broke my heart trying to cook it a few years ago. The whole process went on forever.:pac:

I'll look out for the grain... Do you reckon it would be nice with pesto going through it though?

the beer revolu

Quinoa seems the obvious choice, alright.

Do you reckon it would be nice with pesto going through it though?

Try it and see.

I'm guessing you can't have bulgar wheat, right?

Polenta, which I love, wouldn't really work as it sets quite stiff.
But I do recommend trying it as a staple - I like it best made up with chicken stock, allowed to set flat and fried. A firm favourite in our house.

Minder

Barley is out, isn't it? Buckwheat?

Wurly

Minder wrote: »

Barley is out, isn't it? Buckwheat?

Yep. Cant have either of these.

Thanks for your help folks. I'll give quinoa grain a go. All excited now.;)

LavaLamp

You should be fine with Buckwheat cos it's not actually wheat (nice confusing name there). http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/theglutenfreediet/qt/BuckwheatQT.htm

However, I don't personally think it would be nice with Pesto as it has a very strong flavour. Quinoa definitely would work, but it is a bugger to cook!

Minder

Why is Quinoa difficult to cook? I cook it in plenty of water until it's al dente, then drain it in a sieve, takes about 15 minutes.

pickarooney

Quinoa is a piece of piss to cook, very tasty and goes really well with all kinds of vegetables.

Millet or amaranth, while less tasty, have a decent consistency and should be coeiliac OK.

Wurly

LavaLamp wrote: »

You should be fine with Buckwheat cos it's not actually wheat (nice confusing name there). http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/theglutenfreediet/qt/BuckwheatQT.htm

However, I don't personally think it would be nice with Pesto as it has a very strong flavour. Quinoa definitely would work, but it is a bugger to cook!

Sorry - I was thinking of bulgar wheat.:)

Wurly

Lads - the quinoa worked FANTASTIC and it's so gorgeous. Thanks a million for the advice. It was just perfect. :-D