AIP Couscous!
Updated: Apr 21, 2019
The perfect substitute for rice, couscous or quinoa on AIP!
Here's an oldie but goodie! I filmed this video in the early days of my YouTube channel. Plantain rice is one of my staple foods I come back to over and over in my years of grain-free living!
The way I've been making it lately though, I think couscous is a much more accurate description. You see, you can make this as chunky or as fine as you'd like, depending on how long you process it!
The KEY is that you have to let your cooked plantains sit in the fridge overnight to harden before you process them! Because if you don't (even if they feel cool to the touch) they will be softer and the longer you pulse them the more they will stick together like glue. Then you'll just have to make these tortillas!
Something magical happens when you let cooked plantains sit in the fridge 10+ hours. They get firmer and firmer and lose some of that gluey-ness that they have when freshly cooked. And THEN they can be pulsed into a finely textured, light and fluffy couscous💕!!
My favorite part about it is it's EASY to make, SUPER ECONOMICAL, and YES, you can freeze it!!
So get yourself some green plantains, or go ahead and buy them when they just reach yellow (no black on them) if you want a hint of sweetness, that'll work fine too. I like them both ways. I usually make 7 or 8 at a time so I have a big bowl of couscous to use during the week.
Directions:
1) Prep them!
Cut off each end of the plantain, and then cut it in half. (Demonstrated in the video)
I used to score the sides to help release them from the skin after cooking, but I learned that this step isn't necessary. The skins will split for easy release during cooking!
2) Cook 'em!
In the Instant Pot:
Put 1 1/2 cups water on bottom of pot.
Place plantain halves in a steamer basket or on a rack, as many as will fit before the "fill" line (I can usually fit 7 or 8 plantains in there).
Cook on "Manual" "High Pressure" for 35 minutes. Quick release when done.
On the Stovetop:
Fill a big pot with water and add plantains. Bring to boil and boil the plantains in skin for 25-30 minutes, until fork tender all the way through and easily released from skin.
3) Cool 'em!
Now that they are cooked, let cool enough to handle, remove skins, and place in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Sometimes I do this a whole day or two in advance, but a good 10-12 hours is enough.
4) Process!
All you have to do now is throw them in your high speed blender and hit pulse until it looks like rice, then hit pulse a few more times until it looks like couscous!
This is easy to do in any food processor too, in the video I'm using a cheap little Ninja chopper I picked up for under $30.
Serving suggestions:
Fantastic in any soup, stew or chowder
Tossed into a stir fry
Made into a pilaf with oil, garlic, onion and herbs
Dehydrated for traveling- just add water and a can of sardines!
Mixed into tuna or salmon salad
Mixed into meatloaf
Tabbouleh
Pudding! Add coconut milk, raisins, cinnamon and honey.
CHEESY RICE! (Because cheesy couscous doesn't have that ring to it...) I make the cheesy rice in THIS video using this AIP cheese.
Enjoy!!💕
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As seen on Phoenix Helix's Recipe Roundtable #263