Mendocino Farms Curried Couscous with Roasted Cauliflower
Rating
4.84 stars (6 reviews)
Keywords
cauliflower, cold dish, copycat recipe, couscous, curry, make ahead, mendocino farms, picnic, side dish
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for vegetables
½ pound Israeli (pearl) couscous or orzo pasta ((about 1 2/3 cups))
3 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ tablespoon curry powder
½ tablespoon turmeric
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ head cauliflower
1 small carrot ((peeled & cut into 1/8-inch cubes))
½ cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons cilantro ((minced))
Juice of ¼ lime
Categories
Side Dish
Steps
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add couscous and cook them until lightly toasted, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add 3 1/3 cups water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 – 6 minutes, or until the couscous is tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, curry powder, turmeric, salt, coriander, cumin, & cayenne pepper. Blend well.
In another small bowl, toss the carrots with 1 teaspoon olive oil and ¼ of the spices.
For the cauliflower, cut or break the florets into small pieces, about ½-inch. In a large bowl, toss the florets with 1½ tablespoons olive oil and rest of the spices.
Transfer the carrots to one side on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer the cauliflower florets to the other side of the baking sheet. Roast in the oven. After 8 minutes, check if the carrots are tender. If they are, transfer them into the bowl of couscous. Return the cauliflower to the oven and roast for another 4 – 6 minutes. Transfer them into the bowl of couscous.
Toss everything together to blend. Add mayonnaise, cilantro and lime juice. Taste and adjust with salt and lime juice. Transfer to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge. Best serve cold.
Reviews
Nancy Silverberg on 2024-01-05 (5 stars): Thanks for posting this. It is a delicious way to make couscouse.
Since we're trying to eat Mediterranean, I made it with whole wheat couscous and olive oil mayonnaise--and I think it was actually more tasty!
Just a suggestion for cooking the vegetable--I put the carrots (whole) in the air fryer for 2 minutes, then added the cauliflower florets for another 10 minutes and chopped them after they were cooked--made it much easier.
Lexi on 2021-11-09 (4 stars): Hello! Thank you for the recipe, it is always delicious. Any suggestions on what could be served with it if used as a side dish?
Brenda on 2021-10-22 (5 stars): Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I made this today for my family and they loved it. I think it’ll taste even better once it sits in the fridge overnight. I added more salt and cayenne pepper than listed. Very pleased with the results!
Amy P. on 2021-04-18 (5 stars): Absolutely delicious!!! My husband & I LOVE it, thank you! Living in Texas, I haven’t taken the opportunity to try the restaurant’s dish for comparison, but after trying your recipe, I will definitely have to dine at Mendocino Farmsthe next time I’m in LA. ?
Cosmo on 2020-12-13 (5 stars): I found that you can first mix the cauliflower+oil+3/4 of the spices and microwave for 2 minutes covered to par-cook them. Then add the seasoned carrots and par-cooked cauliflower to the sheet pan and roast everything together for around 8 minutes. Then all the vegetables can be added together. Saves the trouble of separating the carrots and cauliflower into separate roasting times.
Despite my optimization, good job figuring out the actual recipe!
Jenn on 2020-03-24 (5 stars): I live walking distance to our nearest Mendocino Farms and this dish is the only reason why I go there. This recipe is amazing! I tried your recipe because we've been trying our best to stay indoors with all this Coronavirus craziness happening. We're trying to avoid food delivery as well. When I served this to my husband, he actually thought I ordered take out ?
I had about an additional 3/4 cup of Israeli couscous and the spices were still perfect throughout! Thank you so much! If we ever get a bit of normalcy and potlucks are back in effect, I will be making this everytime!
