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Cousous Topped with Almonds

A couscous salad with carrots, bell pepper, green beans, onions, currants, almonds, and a citrus‑cinnamon vinaigrette.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and orange match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 737 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Cousous Topped with Almonds

Time2 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the couscous

  1. Place the couscous in a large bowl and stir in the boiling water.

  2. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once or twice with a fork to fluff.

Prepare the vegetables

  1. Steam the carrots, bell pepper, and green beans until just tender (about 1–2 minutes for pepper, 2 minutes for beans, 4 minutes for carrots).

  2. Add the steamed vegetables to the couscous.

  3. Gently stir in the sliced red onion, currants, and toasted almonds.

Dress and chill

  1. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients: canola oil, orange juice, cinnamon, lemon juice, parsley, and dill.

  2. Add the vinaigrette to the couscous mixture and chill for 2 hours in a covered bowl in the refrigerator, or until cool throughout.

  3. Do not allow the couscous to sit longer than this or it will become mushy.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

537Calories
11 gProtein
15 gFat
93 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Couscous1 cup cooked (157g)176
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Red Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + orangetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together737 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,555 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,125 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  4. Carrot + oniontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together21,601 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Green beans + almondtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together19 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Couscous
Absorbs the boiling water and swells, forming the light, fluffy base of the salad.
Carrots
Add sweetness and a firm, crisp-tender bite after steaming.
Canola oil
Carries the flavor of the marinade and coats the grains, keeping them separate and moist.
Orange juice
Adds acidity and sweetness to the dressing, balancing the oil.
Almonds
Add crunch and a toasted, nutty aroma.

The step that matters

Limit the chilling time. Couscous keeps absorbing liquid and softening in the acidic dressing, so holding it too long turns the grains mushy. Chill only as directed and serve once cool.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, pepper, green beans, onion, almond, canola oil, orange):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Lemonfits better
  3. Cherryfits better
  4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, pepper, green beans, onion, almond, canola oil, orange. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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