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A foolproof recipe for making perfect, fluffy quinoa for adding to salads, stir-fries, bowls, and even breakfast dishes and so far more.

How To Cook Quinoa

Should you’ve ever tried cooking quinoa and it wound up soggy and never fluffy, this recipe is for you! This ancient grain is a improbable addition to your kitchen repertoire. It’s not only a ‘health food’ ingredient for vegans and gluten-free diets; it’s a delicious, versatile grain that may be used as a foundation in salads, bowls, stir-fries, and even breakfast dishes. A few of my favorite quinoa salads are Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and Avocado Quinoa Salad. If you will have an Quick Pot, you may also like this Quick Pot Quinoa.

What’s Quinoa

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a protein packed ancient seed from South America, just like the feel of brown rice when cooked with a nutty flavor. Loved for its versatility, full of protein and gluten-free, this ancient grain has grown in popularity over the past decade. It accommodates all 9 essential amino acids, lysine, phosphorous, copper, iron and magnesium and it is simple to make. It’s not truly a grain, it’s actually a relative of spinach.

Quinoa is available in many sorts, including white, red, and black. But whatever the type you select, the cooking method stays the identical. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1  3/4 cups water or broth
• Salt to taste (optional)

How To Make Quinoa

1. Rinse Thoroughly: Begin by thoroughly rinsing the seeds under cool water. This step is crucial in removing the natural coating, called saponin, which may impart a bitter or soapy taste if left unwashed. A fine-mesh strainer works wonders for this process.
2. Toast It (Optional): Toasting is just not crucial, but it surely adds a pleasant, nutty flavor that may elevate your dishes. Just heat a little bit of olive oil or butter over medium heat, add your drained quinoa, and cook, stirring, for about 1-2 minutes. It’ll begin to smell fragrant when it’s ready.
3. Boil: Mix the quinoa and water and salt, to taste (or broth when you prefer a deeper flavor) in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Simmer: Once boiling, reduce the warmth to low and canopy the lid, letting it simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. The Resting Period: When all of the liquid is absorbed, remove the pot from heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes. This step might sound unnecessary, but it surely’s a vital one that enables it to steam and turn into even fluffier.
6. Fluff: After it has rested, uncover and fluff it gently with a fork to separate the grains.
7. Let cool: Let it cool and add to your favorite quinoa recipes.

Ways To Use

• Use it to grain bowls with vegetables, sweet potatoes, beans
• Substitute it for cereal grains in breakfast bowls with cinnamon, honey and fresh fruit
• Add it to salads with cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon juice and feta cheese
• Add to soups

Easy methods to Take the Bitterness Out of Quinoa

To make it taste higher, rinse it well with water to remove its natural coating, called saponin, which may make it taste bitter or soapy. Some brands comes pre-rinsed. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to rinse the seeds again.

What’s healthier, quinoa or rice?

Quinoa has several benefits over rice:

• Complete Protein: It accommodates all nine essential amino acids, making it an entire protein.
• More Fiber: It has nearly twice the fiber of most grains, aiding digestion.
• Wealthy in Nutrients: It’s richer in vitamins and minerals including Vitamin B, E, and other antioxidants that will help fight against aging and various diseases. It is usually wealthy in minerals akin to iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
• Lower Glycemic Index: It causes a slower rise in blood sugar levels, useful for those with diabetes.
• High in Antioxidants: It has more antioxidants, promoting overall health.
• Gluten-Free: Like rice, it’s great for individuals with celiac disease or those following a gluten-free eating regimen.

What’s the ratio of water to quinoa?

The perfect water ratio is important to cooking perfectly fluffy quinoa. Generally, the directions on a box recommends adding more water than is crucial. The perfect ratio is 1 3/4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of quinoa.

Why is my quinoa soggy and never fluffy?

In case your quinoa is mushy and undesirable, it might be since you’re using an excessive amount of liquid. I actually have been making this for years and all the time use less water than the package instructs. The perfect ratio is 1 3/4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of quinoa. Cook it, covered until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes, then let it rest 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

What variety of quinoa is best?

There are several types of quinoa available on the food market. Tricolor, black and red quinoa are my favorite colours so as to add to quinoa salads and bowls, as the feel is firmer and has more of a bite. White gives it more of a rice texture, perfect for using rather than rice like this quinoa enchilada bake, quinoa fried rice and cilantro lime quinoa.

Best Quinoa Recipes

Prep: 0 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 cup (cooked)

• Rinse the quinoa: Put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. While rinsing, rub the quinoa along with your hands. This step is to remove the natural coating of quinoa, called saponin, which may make it taste bitter or soapy.

• Toast the quinoa (optional): You possibly can toast the quinoa in a skillet for a couple of minutes before cooking it to get a nuttier flavor. Heat a little bit of olive oil or butter over medium heat, then add your drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1-2 minutes, until it starts to smell fragrant.

• Cook the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, mix the quinoa, water and salt (or broth). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it’s boiling, reduce the warmth to low, cover. Let it simmer 20 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Check it occasionally to stop burning and add more water if needed.

• Let it rest: Once the quinoa has absorbed all of the water and it’s cooked, remove the pot from heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes. This step allows the quinoa to steam and makes it fluffier.

• Fluff it with a fork: After it’s rested, uncover and fluff the quinoa gently with a fork to separate the grains.

Last Step:

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You possibly can store it within the refrigerator as much as 4 days. This recipe yields 4 cups.

Serving: 1 cup (cooked), Calories: 172 kcal, Carbohydrates: 31 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 3 g, Sodium: 3.4 mg, Fiber: 3 g