Quinoa- The ultimate grain with a funny name

“I have cooked a very healthy dinner for you today… it is Quinoa Pilaf and tomato soup”
Quipped Gauri, my niece, as my family trudged in from a fun but tiring sightseeing trip to the Highlands five years ago. As a graduate student in Edinburgh, Gauri had found ways to eat healthy on a budget. The pilaf was the most unusual food that I had tasted. It was small beige grain with a nutty but earthy flavor with a weird sounding name Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah). I eyed the plate with a little apprehension, but to my surprise the pilaf was very tasty.

Ancient in its origins, Quinoa has been a staple food of millions for almost 5,000 years, and is known with great respect as the “Mother Grain.” Although new to North Americans, it has been cultivated in the South American Andes, since at least 3,000 B.C. The ancient Incas called it “the mother grain” and revered it as sacred. Quinoa is billed as a grain, but it’s actually a high-protein, gluten-free, super-nutritious seed that is as tasty and versatile as it is healthy.

The Quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. One researcher has said, “While no single food can supply all of the essential life-sustaining nutrients, Quinoa comes as close as any other in the vegetable or animal kingdoms.”

Quinoa is a small seed that in size, shape, and color looks like a cross between sesame seed and millet. It is disk shaped with a flattened band around its periphery. It is usually a pale yellow color but some species may vary from pale yellow through pink, orange, or red to purple and black. In its uncooked state, it takes the form of small off-white disks. It swells when it’s cooked and has a lightly nutty, slightly earthy flavor - very mild but distinct, and much more interesting than rice or couscous.

As soon as I returned from Scotland, I ventured into a health store and discovered this grain in the health store and made the Quinoa pilaf in my kitchen. But to my surprise the pilaf was very bitter and inedible. I decided that Quinoa is not for me and threw the box of Quinoa in the garbage

Five years rolled by. Recently I was reintroduced to Quinoa at a food sampling in a health store. It was delicious. I decided to give it another try. I picked up a box of Quinoa and followed the instructions very carefully this time. The Quinoa pilaf was not bitter this time.

I discovered that the key factor in making good quinoa is to wash it several times in water. Quinoa seeds are covered with saponin, a resin-like substance that is extremely bitter and forms a soapy solution in water to make the seed edible; the saponin must be removed, traditionally done by hand-scrubbing and adequate rinsing.

Quinoa is usually pale yellow. The disk shaped seed has a band about its periphery. As the grain cooks, this band partially separates from the seed but retains its curved shape. In appearance cooked quinoa looks liked cooked couscous sprinkled with little spirals or crescent moons.

Quinoa is as easy to cook as rice. In fact, it’s cooked exactly like rice, though it needs to be rinsed first. Just throw it in a fine sieve/colander and run it under some cold water, or swish it around in a bowl of water and then drain it. To cook it, use two parts liquid to one part quinoa. The grain itself seems to melt in your mouth. But the tiny bands offer just enough tooth resistance to create a minute crunch, affording a varied and pleasant sensation.

Quinoa has a very light, fluffy texture and a mild taste that easily takes on other flavors. If you’ve never had Quinoa before, then I recommend starting simple. The next time you are cooking  rice, try subsituting half the rice with  Quinoa instead. There is a whole world of Quinoa to explore out there. Add it salad, or stew or soup. It’s healthy, it’s yummy and it’s fun to say.

Massala Quinoa
My childhood friend Jayashri Chari made  Upma, a savory and delicious cream of wheat entree,  for me when she was visiting me. I substituted Quinoa for cream of wheat that she used.

1 cup quinoa
1 teaspoon oil
1-2 green chilies
1 cup cabbage (finely shredded )
½ teaspoon sambhar powder (optional)
2 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon lime juice
¾ teaspoon salt (as per taste)
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup almonds (chopped)

Wash Quinoa in water and drain of the water. Repeat 3 times.
Heat a pan, add the washed Quinoa and roast for 3-4 minutes

Heat a pot with teaspoon oil.  Add chilies and sauté for a minute.
Add shredded cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add water, sambhar powder salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil. Throw in the toasted quinoa and stir. Lower heat, cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 15 minutes.  Finally add lime juice, cilantro and almonds. Mix it gently and fluff the grains
Serve piping hot with a bowl of plain yogurt

Hema’s Hints:
1. Enjoy the leftover cold pilaf for an excellent lunch.

Quinoa Pudding
 A pudding that tastes great and does wonders for your health too.

½ cup Quinoa
2 cups milk
pinch of salt
2 cups carrot (shredded)
 1 cup boiling water
½ cup sugar ( as per taste)
5-6 almonds, chopped
1/2 teaspoon orange extract

Wash and rinse Quinoa three times. Drain and keep aside
Heat milk in microwave and keep aside. In a pan add washed
quinoa and  dry roast for a minute. Add a cup of hot milk, pinch of salt,
cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Keep aside.

Place shredded carrots in a bowl.
Add water to carrots and cover for five minutes.
Drain the carrots. In a blender make a smooth
 puree of 1 cup of milk and carrots.
Add the pureed carrots to cooked quinoa.
Mix in sugar, almond and cook for 5 more
minutes finally add orange extract and remove from heat.
Serve piping hot or chilled.

Hema's Hints:
1. For variation, Add cranberries and raisins while cooking quinao

Comments

[Fitzy]

WOW! Looks like I have reading to do! I have SO much to learn from you my friend.

I've put you on automatic feed.

xo

[hema Kundargi]

I am happy that you will read my blog regularly, Happy cooking... Nancy.

[Snehal]

Love your idea of this new way of spreading the joy of cooking and information.

[Sean]

I tried the Massala Quinoa recipe. It was quite delicious. I had tried quinoa for the first time a few months back but didn't like it that much. I found it to be rather bland. However, this one turned out much better. The sambar powder is a perfect addition to this and goes well with the quinoa.

In late 2007, I discovered your cooking show by accident when I was flipping through channels. I recognized your name from your semi-regular feature in India Currents. I tried a number of the recipes you showed. They turned out great. I was wondering about how many episodes you had filmed since the same few aired in regular cycles.

Thanks for sharing your love of cooking with the world. I have learned so much.

[Hema Kundargi]

Thank You Sean for your encouraging words.

Majority of my recipes from my cooking show 'Indian Vegetarian Gourmet' will be on You Tube, in the near future. There will be about 100 recipes.

At present I am working on new show theme 'The Art of Seasoning'

It is gratifying when my readers/TV audience writes to me that they enjoyed my recipes.

Feel free to write about your ideas/suggestions for my cooking show

Happy Cooking
Hema

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