This mixture is quite soft and will produce light, moist cakes. Allow them to get a good golden crust before gently turning them over in the pan. They are also delicious served with a soft poached egg for brunch or a light lunch.
INGREDIENTS
1⁄2 cup instant couscous, we used Tipiak brand
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 cup water or chicken stock, boiling
1 x 400 gram tin cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1⁄2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley or mint
2 spring onions, finely chopped
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 #6 (medium) eggs, lightly beaten
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil for cooking
METHOD
Put the couscous, salt and cumin in a bowl. Add the boiling water or stock and combine. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave for 10 minutes.
Put the chickpeas, garlic, herbs, spring onions and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Don’t process to a smooth paste. Tip into a bowl and season. Fluff the couscous with a fork and combine with the chickpea mixture and eggs.
Press the couscous firmly into a lightly greased, straight sided, 1⁄4 cup measuring cup then invert onto a flat plate or tray. They won’t turn out if you forget to grease the cup. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat.
Cook for 3 minutes then gently turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Drain on kitchen towels. Keep warm in a low oven if cooking in batches. Makes 8-9 cakes.
If using a flavoured couscous, leave out the salt and cumin.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.