Steamed Cheesy Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables

I had invested in an electric lunchbox last month. Yeah yeah, I have jumped onto the bandwagon of this latest craze but I'm glad to say this has not been a white elephant in my kitchen...haha!

Happened to see a promotor at a make-shift stall near my workplace, so I stop and looked at his demostration. Quite impressed that it will auto-shutoff if the water has dried up. Which means I can run out for short errands trips without worrying that my house will be burnt down. yeah~

 

 the electric lunchbox

 

 

Ingredients
Butter (unsalted) - Optional for flavor only
1 clove of garlic
Choice of vegetables (Diced) - I used zucchini, carrot & pumpkin
Chicken (Diced)
1 cup pork bones Stock
Couscous
Grated Cheese (I used Bega brand)

Preparation
1) Add all diced vegatables, garlic, butter, chicken, soup stock into the bowl and steam for 10mins
2) Add in couscous and lay grated cheese on top
3) Steam for 5mins
4) Let it simmer for another 5mins if soup stock is not fully absorbed by the couscous
5) Ready to serve

 

I have included a picture of the cheese I have used, in case you would like to look for it too.
For babies & young children, pls only go for cheese with sodium level not more than 680mg/100gm.

Happy cooking! :D

Pan-fried Couscous with Pork Bones Stock & Salmon

Recently LO displayed much more interest in our table food, even to the extend of wanting to eat whatever is on my plate.
Therefore, I decided to do away with the daily porridge dinner and tried cooking something different in hope that her appetite will increase.

Bought couscous some time back but yet to have the chance to try it. Heard it takes a short time to be cooked, which means I can whipped out something for LO fast once I am back from work.

For the uninitiated, couscous is closely related to pasta, as durum wheat, ground into semolina flour, is the same type of wheat that is most commonly used for making pasta. So it is actually a differnt type of grain, but is rich in protein.
Preparing couscous can be quick and easy. It can be added to a pot of boiling water or stock, the pot is then covered and the water is absorbed into the couscous in about five minutes.

Ingredients
Butter (unsalted) or Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic (sliced)
Choice of vegetables (I used spinach & pumpkin)
Salmon (Diced) or Chicken if you prefer
1 cup pork bones Stock
Couscous
Melted cheese (Optional)

Preparation
1) Add butter or olive oil once the saucepan is heated up
2) Sautéed garlic til golden brown
3) Add in salmon and stir
4) Add in vegetables and cheese and continue to stir
5) Add in couscous and stir to coat
6) Pour in the stock slowly while continue to stir the couscous to coat it with the stock
7) Bring to a boil
8) Reduce heat to lowest setting
9) Cover and cook until the stock is being absorbed by the couscous
10) Fluff with a fork to separate the grains
11) Ready to be served