Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA) definitely wins my 2010 ingredient of the year award. You can seriously find me eating quinoa two to three times a week for breakfast, lunch or dinner. High in protein and fiber, this nutritional powerhouse can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. Quick and easy, preparation of quinoa is very similar to cooking rice. Serve quinoa as a side dish alternative to rice, couscous or polenta; or make it the main attraction accompanied by sauteed vegetables and topped with a fried egg. One of my favorite preparations consists of quinoa seasoned with a drizzle of soy sauce and sriracha, then tossed with cubes of firm tofu. So yum!! Continue reading the the recipe.
Quinoa
Equipment needed:
Saucepan
Fine-mesh basket strainer
Dry measuring cup
Wet measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Wooden spoon
Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon gray salt (or kosher salt)
Instructions
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Using a dry measuring cup, scoop 1 cup of quinoa into a fine-mesh basket strainer. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly with cold, running water. Quinoa can be coated in a bitter-tasting, powdery resin, so it is important to give it a good rinse. When the water runoff turns from cloudy to clear, your quinoa has gone through sufficient rinsing. Set aside.
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Using a wet measuring cup, add chicken stock to a medium saucepan. Stir in butter and gray salt. Bring stock to a boil over medium-high heat.
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Add rinsed quinoa, stirring to combine. Return the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the quinoa until all of the liquid is absorbed (15 – 20 minutes). Remove from the heat and let sit for 2 minutes.
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Finish by fluffing the quinoa with a fork.
Joel Luks says
Love quinoa. Thanks for writing about it. For me it was a baby food. Our ratio is slightly different, one cup of quinoa to one cup of water resulting in a more granulated quinoa. Try amaranth as well. Its awesome.
Emma says
I absolutely love quinoa, as much as I really like cous cous and brown rice and still eat them a lot, quinoa has replaced quite a few of those dishes.
Thanks for the step by step instructions 🙂
Yesim says
i havent known about quinoa , i love to learn new smth everyday , tx for share…
Liz says
OK, you are the second person who has mentioned putting a fried egg on top of quinoa this week. I would never have thought to do that, but I am definitely going to try it. I love eggs… I love quinoa… so it just makes sense. I am thinking it would kind of be like putting your egg over grits… I am in South Carolina, so of course I had to mention grits! 🙂
Becky says
I keep seeing recipes for quinoa, but every time I go to the store I forget t buy it. thanks for the step by step instructions!
Brandon Matzek says
@Joel I’ve been meaning to try amaranth.
@Liz I feel a fried egg goes well on almost anything (rice, grits, quinoa, lentils, cous cous, etc.). I love grits as well; however, since I am Italian, I call it Polenta! HA!