Lilly Higgins: How to turn cauliflower into couscous

Cauliflower continues to amaze me with its versatility. I’ve had it as a pizza base, pureed and served with stews, dusted in spices and roasted – and now this simple and delicious couscous.

Yotam Ottolenghi has a wonderful recipe for cauliflower cake that caused me to think differently about cauliflower a few years ago. It’s a huge savoury cake made with almost a dozen eggs. He uses red onion rings, basil leaves and nigella seeds in it. It is delicious – a fantastic vegetarian main course. It keeps well for a day or two. I’ve made it countless times and everyone loves it. A wedge of it is perfect food for picnics or to feed kids on the move.

This cauliflower couscous recipe is a fantastic alternative to regular durum wheat couscous and a useful recipe for those following a Paleo grain-free diet. Although it is worth making simply because it tastes amazing in its own right.

Some might find the flavour of raw brassicas quite strong, but it’s not even noticeable in this dish, as the herbs, lemon juice and barberries are all competing for attention with bursts of citrus, mint and sourness.

I’ve tried making cauliflower rice before, steaming it, then fluffing with a fork, but it turned out rather soggy and damp. It was a miserable side dish and definitely not one to sway those that don’t like cruciferous vegetables in the first place.

This couscous is simply raw cauliflower blitzed in a food processor, then dressed with lemon juice, oil and as many herbs as you can find. I’ve served it with roasted chicken and barbecued lamb, folded into warm flatbread with tzatziki and falafel.

My kids haven’t even noticed that this isn’t couscous, especially when I serve it with something such as a tagine, where there’s a hot sauce poured on top.

Brassicas are extremely beneficial to our health, so it’s great to fit them in where we can. Eating cauliflower raw like this is even better because all the nutrients remain intact, as they haven’t leached into boiling water during cooking.

The barberries I’ve used can be a little difficult to find. They are used in Iranian dishes, so seek them out in speciality shops.

You might find them labelled as Zereshk, their Persian name. They taste amazingly sour and give great texture to the dish. I love adding them to stuffing or rice dishes. As an alternative you could use finely diced dried cranberries, currants or pomegranate seeds. If you have some preserved lemons, add a few slices, finely diced.

Mint pairs really well with cauliflower. I add herbs such as marjoram, flat-leaf parsley and coriander. Dill, fennel, basil and even tarragon can be added.

Sprinkle toasted flaked almonds or pistachios over the top to add delicious crunch.

CAULIFLOWER COUSCOUS WITH HERBS: SERVES 4

Ingredients
½ head of cauliflower
½tsp salt 20g mint, finely chopped
30g parsley, finely chopped
20g coriander, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
2tbs olive oil
½ red pepper, finely diced
2tbs barberries

Method
Place the cauliflower and sea salt into the food processor and blitz until it reaches a couscous-like consistency. Place the mix in a clean, dry tea towel and squeeze over the sink to remove any excess moisture. Put it into a bowl along with the finely chopped herbs, pepper and barberries. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, then fluff everything together with a fork to mix. Taste for seasoning before serving.