How to cook perfect quinoa
I love using quinoa as it's a great gluten free grain substitution. You can find it in white, red or black colours but I favour the three coloured one. I love to use it warm as a side dish or cold in my salads.
Quinoa is rich in vitamins, minerals, high in fiber and protein and that’s why it carries the name of supper food. Quinoa has all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. In one cup of cooked quinoa, there are about 8 grams of protein, which is especially good news for those who follow plant-based diets. That's why it's well worth trying to introduce it into your diet.
Prep
30 min to overnight
Time
20 min
Serves
3-4
Ingredients
¾ cup quinoa
1 cup hot water
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
- The secret to achieving a nice fluffy texture for this supper grain is to wash it thoroughly with cold water and soak for a minimum of 30 min to eliminate the bitterness or even better overnight.
- Place the soaked quinoa into the pot and add 1 cup hot water.
- Cover the pot and cook for 15-20 min till all water is absorbed.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and leave uncovered to cool down if you want to use it for a salad otherwise it will continue to cook and get sticky.
- Use as a side dish or salads.
- You can check my recipes beetroot quinoa and beef salad, delicious chickpeas pepper and quinoa salad, or quinoa tabbouleh salad for inspiration.