Comments on: Couscous, Polenta & Millet

By: van

van — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:49:09 +0000

where can we buy ready made couscous?

By: Shella

Shella — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:38:42 +0000

Are couscous and polenta in Santi’s cheaper than the ones in Healthy Options? I saw that episode too when Giada just shaved some parmesan over the fried polenta…yum yum. I remember eating loads of fried polenta in Sao Paulo, I ate it with meat sauce and cheese…so instead if fries I used them on fried polenta.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 21:57:04 +0000

Sister, I asked but didn’t get a recipe… have tried 4x to make the budbud but haven’t gotten it right yet…it’s like the current holy grail of marketman… For all those who are curious (Blance, venchie, et al), I get my polenta and couscous at Santis Delicatessens and I have also seen it sometimes at Rustans groceries and other food shops. They aren’t that pricey in case you are intimidated to try some of this stuff. Finding the kabog is another story…it was like finding a needle in a haystack! Carol and Wilson, I haven’t tried pearl couscous yet. Carol, you have to boil the water, then add the cornmeal slowly and stir constantly. Butter at the end is critical and don’t overcook… Jen Tan, you can make couscous into a cold side dish or salad by adding lots of chopped tomatoes, basil and herbs and a nice vinaigrette. Anonymous Paul, I have read up on quinoa, will have to try that as well. Doddie, millet discussions coming soon…

By: Doddie from Korea

Doddie from Korea — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:17:09 +0000

MM,

That’s the millet that they have here in Korea! They usually add millet to their boiled rice here and makes it so delicious! I wonder what else can I fix millet with?

By: venchie

venchie — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:49:16 +0000

Where can we buy couscous and polenta here in the philippines?

By: Sylvia

Sylvia — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 06:17:56 +0000

I too like couscous a lot and it’s really easy to cook. It pairs well with saucy dishes. I haven’t tried making polenta. That is more my husband’s area of expertise. I prefer the “mushy” polenta to the fried version. I’m curious as to the outcome of your budbud experiment. I haven’t found budbud in Manila that is as delicious as the ones I had in my early childhood in Cebu.

By: anonymous paul

anonymous paul — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 03:23:04 +0000

you might also want to look into Quinoa:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

“Quinoa was of great nutritional importance within pre-columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, and the United Nations has classified it as a supercrop for its very high protein content (12-18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete foodstuff. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one’s needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also gluten free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered as a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long duration manned spaceflights.”

i was surprised to find it at healthy options in shangri-la mall. very similar to couscous in texture but you cook it just like rice

By: Jen Tan

Jen Tan — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:46:23 +0000

hello Mr.Markerman! Very informative post =) I have always wanted to try couscous whenever I’m in a Mediterranean resto..but never had the “guts” to do so. Besided stews what kind of dish goes along well with it? (I’m not really fond of stews) Btw, I love that scene in Sabrina as well….makes eating on the floor with your hands so romantic! hahaha

By: Wilson Cariaga

Wilson Cariaga — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:31:48 +0000

couscous is also nice as a salad/ appetizer. . . yummy. What i really don’t like is pearl couscous, it has a “sago” like size and can be hard if you don’t know how to cook it, i still prefer the regular couscous. . . for polenta, adding veggies to flavor it makes it nice and grilling it also gives it a nice flavor its good for tomato based stews. . . yummy

By: carol

carol — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:21:53 +0000

I love couscous and polenta although I can never seem to get the latter creamy like I have had in some restaurants. Any pointers? Recently I had “Mac and cheese” at Cirkulo made with what the menu called an “israeli pearl couscous”. It had the consistency of pasta or orzo rather than the normal couscous . I have been trying to figure out if it was indeed an actual grain or they simply used the term couscous because of its shape and now I realize that it probably is a pasta of sorts! How informative! Are you familiar with this pearl couscous?