Breakfast · 30 min · brazilian

Cuscuz Nordestino (Corn Couscous)

A Brazilian breakfast built around cornmeal and water — on the table in 30 minutes. It is weeknight cooking that still hits your targets — 10 grams of protein per serving. Simple enough for a Tuesday, good enough to serve to guests — that is the whole idea.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cornmeal
• 1.5 cups Water
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 4 Eggs
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar

Steps

1. Mix the cornmeal with the salted water until every grain is damp, then rest 10 minutes. The grains should clump when squeezed but crumble easily — that is the right hydration.
2. Pack the damp cornmeal loosely into a cuscuzeira or a steamer basket lined with cheesecloth. Do not press it down; steam needs to travel through.
3. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes, until the couscous is cooked through and smells sweet and toasty.
4. Turn it out into a bowl and fluff with a fork, working in the butter while it is steaming hot so every grain glistens.
5. Top with fried or poached eggs and serve hot. In the Northeast this is breakfast, lunch-box, and comfort food all at once — humble, filling, and deeply satisfying.

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