each other just after they’re added to the cooking water Their dry surfaces absorb the small amount of water between them so there’s none left for lubrication, and the partly gelated surface starch glues the noodles together Sticking can be minimized by constantly stirring the noodles for the first few minutes of cooking, or by adding a spoonful or two of oil to the pot and then lifting the noodles through the water surface a few times to lubricate them Salt in the cooking water not only flavors the noodles, but limits starch gelation and so reduces cooking losses and stickiness Stickiness after cooking is caused by surface starch that dries out and cools down after the noodles have been drained, and develops a gluey consistency It can be minimized by rinsing the drained noodles, or moistening them with some sauce, cooled cooking water, oil, or butter Couscous, Dumplings, Couscous, Dumplings, Spätzle, Gnocchi Couscous Couscous is an elegantly simple pasta that appears to have been invented by the Berber peoples of northern Algeria and Morocco between the 11th and 13th centuries It remains a staple dish in North Africa, the Middle East, and Sicily In its traditional form, couscous is made by sprinkling salted water into a bowl containing whole wheat flour, then stirring with the fingers to form little bits of dough The bits are rubbed between the hands and sieved to obtain granules of uniform size, usually 1–3 mm in diameter There is no kneading and therefore no gluten development, so this gentle technique can be and is applied to many other grains Couscous granules are small enough that they can be cooked not in a large excess of water but in steam (traditionally over the fragrant stew that it will accompany), which allows them to develop a uniquely light, ... pasta that appears to have been invented by the Berber peoples of northern Algeria and Morocco between the 11th and 13th centuries It remains a staple dish in North Africa, the Middle East, and Sicily In its traditional form, couscous is made by sprinkling salted... water into a bowl containing whole wheat flour, then stirring with the fingers to form little bits of dough The bits are rubbed between the hands and sieved to obtain granules of uniform size, usually 1–3 mm in... granules of uniform size, usually 1–3 mm in diameter There is no kneading and therefore no gluten development, so this gentle technique can be and is applied to many other grains Couscous granules are small enough that they can be cooked not in a large excess