Cuscuz in Brazil is not the same as couscous in the United States. The US box is tiny steamed wheat. Northeastern cuscuz (cuscuz nordestino) is steamed flaky corn (flocão de milho). That flake is sold on Amazon or at a Brazilian market. It is not polenta. It is a Northeast staple. At a churrasco table it sits next to sun-dried salted beef (carne de sol) and grilling cheese (queijo coalho; halloumi is the US stand-in) the way rice sits in other kitchens.
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Ingredients (4 to 6 sides)
- 2 cups (about 240 g) flocão de milho, the flaky corn sold for Brazilian cuscuz, not polenta and not the wheat couscous sold in the US
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) bottled Brazilian butter (manteiga de garrafa), or melted salted butter, for serving
The flake (flocão de milho) is the product, not fine cornmeal (fubá) or instant polenta. Mix flocão and salt. Add the water gradually until it feels like wet sand. Rest 10 minutes. Keep it loose in the steamer. Steam 10 to 15 minutes after the water boils, in a cuscuzeira or a colander over a pot, covered. It should be puffed and tender.
Turn it out and fork it. Spoon the butter over while it is hot. The barbecue plate is cuscuz with sun-dried beef (cuscuz com carne de sol). Leftovers reheat in steam, not in a dry pan.
What to buy
Flocão is the flour; the cuscuzeira is the pot. The usual mid is the one to get first in each row.
Flocão de milho
- Low: Yoki Kimilho flocão de milho — the flaked corn this cuscuz is made from.
- Usual mid: Yoki flocão de milho from a Brazilian grocer — same bag, usually fresher and cheaper.
- High: Yoki flocão de milho, the larger bag — same flour when you make this every week.
Cuscuzeira
- Low: A cheap aluminum Brazilian cuscuzeira — the three-piece steamer sold at Latin markets; it works.
- Usual mid: Tramontina aluminum cuscuzeira — named aluminum, the usual mid.
- High: A larger Tramontina aluminum cuscuzeira (18–20 cm) — same pot, enough for a table, not a stainless model this page cannot name honestly.
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