Bye Bye Couscous

Even wild ducks'll follow a trail of cauliflower crumbs

Going past 35 was an unforgettable occasion for me: that’s when I discovered that I didn’t have all of my father’s genes. Like him, I used to think that you can soak me in a tub of oil and I wouldn’t get even a gram fatter. But within 8 months, I’d gained 10 kilos and in all the wrong places.

That was when I put myself on a modified Atkins’ diet: I could eat all the proteins, fats, fruits and veggies I want. But complex carbohydrates of all forms were tabooed from gracing my dining table - which meant that I didn’t need to opt using only egg whites to prepare a frittata, as I wouldn’t chow down on the crust enveloping a quiche Lorraine.

That I’m again attempting to get back on this diet plan is evident as it is a heaven sent when I stumbled upon a modern French recipe that substituted the starchy coucous with finely pureed cauliflower florets. And the swap was a major success as those who weren’t told never for a moment even doubted that they were enjoying genuine coucous, as the ground down cauliflower florets perfectly mimicked the taste and texture of the carbohydrate known the world over.

In many aspects, this substitution reminds me of all the mock meat Chinese vegetarians have perfected with their tofu substitute. And just as the consumption of tofu offers added health benefits, a meal served with cauliflower “couscous” has the added advantage of building up the body’s store of anti-cancer nutrients.

But the greatest joy in stumbling upon this vegetable’s winsome disguise is the realization that I no longer needed to keep stocked up on actual couscous for years on end. After all, I present a meal including couscous every seven or eight months down the road. The pureed cauliflower has become the staple swap, and I can’t wait to try this out with other recipes that have stuck to using starchy couscous.