Couscous Upma - 1 of 12 new foods to try this year

One of my resolutions this year was to try 12 new foods so that I will start experimenting with new food stuff that I havent tried before. When I frst read about couscous and that it was a healthy grain, I was curious to try it. But never got around doing it at that time. When I visited Yamini, a dear friend, in UK, she mentioned that this is indeed a great grain and very versatile and can be a great substitute to rice. Rice, when eaten everyday gives a nice round belly, which we can probably live without. And then, Indira of Mahanandi fame also got me more interested to try this dish by saying nice things about the way couscous cooks. So, even if I don't like regular upma made with semolina, I decided to give couscous a go and got some organic couscous from my local natural health food store.

couscous - 1 cup
salt to taste
oil 1 tbsp
onion - 1 chopped
frozen green peas - 1 cup
raisins - 2 tbsp
cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp
green chillies - 2, slit lengthwise
lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Heat oil and add the cummin seeds. After they are slightly roasted, add the onions and green chillies and saute them. After two mins, add the green peas and raisins and stir for a minute. Add 2 cups of water and let it boil. When it boils, add the salt and couscous and stir. Indira mentions that the grain doesnt form lumps when added to water and I found it to be very true. Cook it covered for another 15 mins in reduced heat. Stir in the lemon juice and serve hot.

Both B and me liked the crunchy taste of couscous and we'll be making it more often. And now that the experiment worked, I'll be adding a lot more veggies the next time.