Trust me, you need to make this Maftoul Salad; a vegan couscous salad. It's light yet filling, packed with raw veg and has a slight sweetness to it that everyone will love. Quite simply; it is the best maftoul salad recipe.
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What is Maftoul?
Maftoul is the Arabic word for couscous. In Palestine couscous is widely used and prized.
I first came across a couscous salad at a cafe where they coated it in chutney, while it was fabulous, it wasn't until my son's grandmother introduced me to her Palestinian version of "properly" used maftoul.
It was stewed and wholesome. This is where I got the inspiration for this salad. She used the word maftoul interchangeably for both the small variety (as used in this recipe) and the larger variety (Pearl Couscous Lebanese Moghrabieh)
Is maftoul gluten free?
No. As it is made from wheat, it contains gluten.
Where to buy maftoul?
Couscous is now readily available from all major supermarkets. However I love to support local and buy it from my local continental grocer.
How to easily cook couscous
I have found the best way to easily cook couscous is the ratio of 1:1⅓ that is 1 cup couscous to 1⅓ cup liquid.
I like to melt my butter in my hot vegetable stock and then adding in the couscous, allowing it to sit for about 5 minutes until it can be fluffed up using a fork.
How to Make Maftoul Salad
To cook couscous place couscous and vegetable stock in a large bowl, mix together, add vegan butter and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
To dry roast pine nuts add pine nuts to a pan over medium heat and brown to desired colour
Prepare your veggies and fresh herbs, finely dice all veggies and shred carrot, set aside
Chop mint and parsley, set aside
Separate couscous using a fork, which should easily comb through, there should be no clumps
Putting the salad together, add diced vegetables and chopped fresh herbs to couscous
Add in spice, sultanas, olive oil and pine nuts and mix together using a fork. Season to taste
Serve alone, as an accompaniment or in lettuce cups
Additional plant based protein sources that will go well with this salad
- Nuts - whilst there are pine nuts in this salad, you can add others types too
- Tempeh
- Beans
- Tofu
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
Try my other vegan couscous recipe
A fabulous filling meal of Pearl Couscous Lebanese Moghrabieh. It's buttery and aromatic, my family and I love eating it with a side of freshly cut tomatoes and cucumbers, the perfect combination.
Or for something a little different, my Purslane Pockets (Lebanese Bakleh) always go down a treat.
Heres another yummy (non couscous) salad to try; Thai Cabbage Salad
Maftoul Salad (Vegan Couscous Salad)
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups Couscous
- 375-500 ml Boiling water. Depending on couscous amount following instructions
- 1 tablespoon Plant based butter
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 med Red capsicum diced
- ½ sml Spanish onion finely diced
- 1 handful Flat parsley chopped
- 2 sml Carrots shredded
- 2 handfuls Pine nuts dry pan fried (med heat)
- 1 handful Sultanas or cranberries
- 1 handful Fresh mint leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon All spice
- 1 pinch Seasoning to taste
Instructions
- To cook couscous place couscous and vegetable stock in a large bowl, mix together, add butter and cover with boiling water. Set aside
- Finely dice all veggies and shred carrot, set aside
- Chop mint and parsley, set aside
- Seperate couscous using a fork, which should easily comb through, there should be no clumps
- Add diced vegetables and chopped fresh herbs to couscous
- Add in spice, sultanas, olive oil and pine nuts and mix together using a fork. Add seasoning to taste.
- Serve
Dannii
We are always looking for new ways to use cous cous and this looks delcious.
Nart at Cooking with Nart
I tried this recipe and it was so, so good. My whole family loved it!
Charla
So glad that this is a vegan salad, another option for my plant based needs.
Alex
I love the idea of serving this in lettuce cups! It looks so beautiful, and the flavours in this sound so delicious.
Michelle
Simply delicious! I love how fresh this tastes and the different flavours from the toasted pine nuts and sultanas are just perfect. Everyone loved it, thank you for sharing it.