018 / 75 · A Lunch Without Cooking

Cucumber, Chickpea and Orange Couscous Jar

2 wide-mouth jars or lunch tubs · Active 15 min · Total 50 min

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Orange segments and their juice brighten couscous with chickpeas and cucumber. It is a useful no-stove meal if you have a kettle, though the water still needs to reach a full boil. A wide-mouth jar is convenient, but a shallow tub is easier to chill when preparing ahead.

Jump to ingredients

Orange, cucumber and chickpea couscous jars.

Catch the orange juice

Peel the orange over the mixing bowl and collect its juice. Remove large pieces of white pith, then cut the segments into bite-sized pieces. The dressing uses that juice with lemon and olive oil, giving the salad a fresh sweetness without extra sugar. Dice the cucumber small and drain chickpeas well so neither overwhelms the fine couscous.

A jar is a container, not preservation

Let couscous hydrate covered, fluff it, then cool promptly in a shallow layer before assembling chilled jars. Sealing warm grains in a tall jar traps heat. Layer cucumber and orange above the grains if the jars will travel, then turn into a bowl or stir gently at eating time. The salad still needs refrigeration even though most ingredients began in the cupboard.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup fine quick-cooking couscous (85 g)
  • 1/2 cup boiling water (120 ml), or packet-specified amount
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 can chickpeas, 15 oz (425 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1 orange (about 180 g whole)
  • 1/2 cucumber, diced (150 g)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint (5 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Set out

Kettle or small saucepan, Heatproof bowl with lid, Fork, 2 wide-mouth containers

Allergens

Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Put couscous and salt in the heatproof bowl. Add fully boiling water, cover and leave 5 minutes, or follow packet instructions. Fluff with a fork.
  2. Spread in a shallow container to cool promptly, then refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
  3. Peel and cut orange over a bowl to catch juice. Mix juice with oil, lemon, mint and pepper.
  4. Fold cold couscous, chickpeas, cucumber and orange into the dressing. Divide between containers and keep chilled.

Pack a wide spoon

A tall narrow jar is difficult to mix or empty in a camper. Choose a wide mouth and leave room at the top rather than packing grains to the lid.

A useful detail

Use fine quick-cooking couscous, not pearl couscous, which needs a longer boil.

Another way

  • Use two small mandarins instead of the orange.
  • Replace mint with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Keep it well

Refrigerate promptly within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below. Use within 2 days for the best cucumber texture. Keep chilled during travel with two cold sources in an insulated bag.