Tempered with burnt garlic and onion stripes!!
Quinoa is an edible seed which comes along with a bunch of nutrients. It is one of the most popular health foods in the world. Its high protein content, sweet and nutty flavor, and delicate texture have made quinoa a popular substitute for rice. But it isn’t just a substitute. it has gained immense popularity and is widely used in staples like quinoa rice, salads, patties and so on. This recipe is as simple just as my paneer fried rice recipe.
Do check my recipe for Quinoa patties and Bulgar wheat or quinoa salad.
Reason for Quinoa being a superfood
1. Simple to cook and Gluten free.
2. It contains a lot of essential amino acids.
3. High in fiber, magnesium, iron, potassium calcium….etc
4. It has various beneficial antioxidants ….
It can go on and on…..
Quinoa can replace rice foods, gluten, grain protein….. It’s easy to incorporate it in almost any of your meals.It’s popular among health conscious people due to its versatile benefits.
How to cook a perfect fluffy quinoa
Quinoa can be cooked in various ways. popularly Instant pot, Electric rice cooker or just on a stovetop. The perfect ratio of quinoa : water is 1:2. One part of quinoa rinsed and cooked with 2 cups of water gives you the perfectly cooked quinoa which is soft yet fluffy. After the quinoa is ready i use a fork to simply separate the grain and fluff it.
It can be cooked and served in various ways. Pilaf is one of which I tried with a small hint the other day for dinner. Pilaf is Quinoa cooked in a flavored stock, and I cooked quinoa in an electric rice cooker just perfectly it should have been….
I used a vegetable stock to cook Quinoa and tempered it with some burnt garlic and burnt onion stripes. This combination worked so very well. It tasted just appropriate with that little twist at the end. Not too burnt, not too smoky.
Do stop by and check our other superfood recipes on the blog
We all must have tried cooking Quinoa in different ways. Let’s try this one too.
Quinoa Pilaf/Pulao (with burnt garlic and onion)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups quinoa grains (uncooked)
- 3 cups vegetable stock /water
- 1 small finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup finely chopped asparagus
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 3-4 tbsp tablespoons of finely chopped fresh Parsley
- 3-4 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 12 cup long cut onions for frying
- Salt
- Chili flakes and black pepper
Instructions
To cook quinoa
- Take 1.5 cup of Quinoa in the electric rice cooker pot.
- Add 3 cups of vegetable stock to it. Add a teaspoon of salt.
- Set the rice cooker on white rice mode for 15 minutes.
- Quinoa will be perfectly cooked at that time. ( I used Aroma electric Rice cooker)
To make the Pilaf:
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan.
- Fry the long onions in it until burnt brown. Remove and keep aside. Fry the finely chopped garlic until burnt and set aside.
- Now in the same oil saute the finely chopped onions until translucent.
- Add carrots, asparagus and peas to it and saute for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add red chili flakes, salt and pepper to it.
- Now add the cooked quinoa and give it a nice toss.
- Steam for a couple of minutes and add 4-5 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley to it.
- Quinoa Pilaf is well cooked and flavored with vegetable stock and parsley. Garnish it with burnt Garlic and burnt onion stripes and serve.
Notes
- You can use any choice of broth to cook quinoa.
- When cooking Quinoa on a stove top use 2.5 cups of water for 1.5 cup.
- Vegetables can be anything like beans, broccoli, artichokes etc.
- If you like spicy taste add 1 teaspoon of green chili paste while saute vegetables
Also check our other 30 minute dinner recipes
- Mango curd rice
- Creamy parsley pesto pasta
- Mint rice
- Sriracha paneer fried rice
- Khichadi
- Lemon Alfredo pasta
If you like and try this recipe do write reviews in the comment section below.
You can also email me at veggie.bites.2020@gmail.com
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