Quinoa

[ExtraMSG]

I just wanted to put in a plug for quinoa. I usually have it in the pantry, forget about it until I'm cleaning out the pantry, make a ton of it, then work with it for a week. The stuff's great. It's got the nice, tiny-grain texture of the more popular (non-grain) cous cous, but with a pleasant nutty flavor. Easy as hell to make, too. I just toss it in my rice cooker with a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa. And the leftovers work for all kinds of dishes, too. eg, I used it as a textural component to a mixed greens salad with a vinaigrette. I've put it in foccacia and other bread doughs and cooked them up like normal. Adds nice flavor and texture. I've used it as a breading for pan-fried and baked items. Good stuff. Highly recommend.

What are your favorite uses for quinoa?

[jackal10]

It's easy and decorative to grow

There is a book: Quinoa, Super-grain that advocates its use for almost everything

[helenjp]

I like the quinoa breading idea too.

Keep the ideas rolling please...I cook quinoa as a rice substitute fairly often, as I'm allergic to rice (a small problem in Japan...). I'd enjoy being able to cook it so astonishingly well that the rest of the family would eat quinoa more often, and save me the work of cooking two grains for one meal!

[Suzanne F]

Extra, when you use if for breading, do you prep it in any way? I've always believed the story that quinoa needs to be thoroughly rinsed to remove some bitter coating, so I've never thought of using it unrinsed. How do you do it?

Helen, I'm a little surprised you can find it in Japan -- only because I have read that after WW II it was a main (if not THE main) source of protein available, and now people can't stand the sight of it. Maybe they've forgotten? But that's okay, because it IS great stuff, very high in protein. I've seen but never tried quinoa-based pasta.

[mrbigjas]

I like the quinoa breading idea too.

Keep the ideas rolling please...I cook quinoa as a rice substitute fairly often, as I'm allergic to rice (a small problem in Japan...). I'd enjoy being able to cook it so astonishingly well that the rest of the family would eat quinoa more often, and save me the work of cooking two grains for one meal!

I use it to stuff zucchini or tomatoes or eggplant--the interesting thing about it is that it's a complete protein, so by cooking it, sauteeing with some vegetables/aromatics and stuffing it in something, you have a pretty decent complete meal in one dish. I usually do that--sautee the cooked quinoa with other things (some spinach, tomatoes, whatever), stuff it in a zucchini, then cheese or bread crumbs and bake.

[cjsadler]

Quinoa soup is good. That's an interesting article, too.

[fimbul]

Extra, when you use if for breading, do you prep it in any way? I've always believed the story that quinoa needs to be thoroughly rinsed to remove some bitter coating, so I've never thought of using it unrinsed. How do you do it?

If the quinoa ExtraMSG buys is anything like the stuff I get (from bulk bins in Whole Foods and other, local hippie stores), it comes pre-rinsed. Or, at least, it arrives at my home sans saponin (bitter stuff), so I assume *someone's* rinsing it.

Maybe you can taste a grain or two of the quinoa before you rinse it to see if you can use it dry? From what I've heard, if it needs rinsing, you'll know it.

[markovitch]

i use it in place of cous cous and Bulgar for my celiac girlfriend. Quinoa provides a great substitute for her. Quinoa pasta is great ( i even like it), there are a lot of Q basedd products made for the wheat-free/celiac clan, such as quinoa 'oatmeal' which is perfect for breading.

I first encountered the stuff in its native environ-- The Andes. When i was hiking to Machu Picchu that stuff kept me going almost on its own.

my favorite use is Kemer, which is essentially turkish tabbouleh-- tomatoes, lots of sumak, parsley, lemon juice and paprika. My tukish homies think mine is pretty damn close to the real thing, if not better.

Edited February 17, 2004 by markovitch (log)

[bloviatrix]

My one experiment with quinoa was about 9 years ago. We hated it. But, the more you guys write good things you'll convince me to revisit it. That's how much influence y'all have.

[ExtraMSG]

I'm pretty sure it comes pre-rinsed for me. I do just get it in bulk bins. When I use it as a breading, I'm not using it raw. I'm pre-cooking it and using leftovers from the fridge where it dries out to some degree.

[mrbigjas]

My one experiment with quinoa was about 9 years ago. We hated it. But, the more you guys write good things you'll convince me to revisit it. That's how much influence y'all have.

Maybe it wasn't rinsed right? That would make it extremely bitter, which could lead to hating it. Other than that, it seems too innocuous to prompt such a strong reaction...

[uberleet]

my favorite use is Kemer, which is essentially turkish tabbouleh-- tomatoes, lots of sumak, parsley, lemon juice and paprika.  My tukish homies think mine is pretty damn close to the real thing, if not better.

Sounds good, could you post the recipe?

[uberleet]

An interesting quinoa article.

[chromedome]

<wistful sigh....>

Last year in Nova Scotia I worked for a retailer of organic foods. I always had quinoa in my cupboards.

I used it in several ways, including soups and pilafs, though I never thought of breading things with it (love how couscous works for that, though...).

My favourite thing to do was to precook some quinoa, and soak some cornmeal overnight, and then combine them in a bread (with wheat flour providing the backbone of the loaf, of course). The texture and flavour were outstanding. If I had any leftover soaked grain, I used that in waffles. I reasoned that these two Meso-American staples must share some sort of psychic affinity, and in practice they work well together.

No recipes, I'm afraid, I just jiggered it around until the textures felt right.

[rshorens]

I made a pretty good turkey stuffing last Thanksgiving with quinoa, wild rice, chestnuts, dried cherries, sauteed onions, mushrooms, celery, and carrots. I cooked the quinoa and also the wild rice in low salt chicken broth first, before assembling the dressing.

Roz

Edited February 18, 2004 by rshorens (log)

[Suzanne F]

Thank you for starting this thread, Extra! I was at a loss yesterday for what starch to make for dinner, and was inspired to cook off some quinoa, absolutely plain. It was a great foil for the grilled pork steaks topped with tamarind glaze and caramelized onions. Nice and nutty, and a good sponge for the juices.

[Lisa J]

I use quinoa to make a breakfast porridge, mixing it with other grains like barley and brown rice. Add honey and dried fruits or nuts. I know it sounds ridiculously healthy, and it is. I make a big batch and then heat it in the mornings. Perfect for cold days and better than breakfast from a box.

[Toasted]

I just picked up a box today. I'm going to try making some type of pilaf

with it tonight. Any more recipe suggestions would be great.

[markovitch]

my favorite use is Kemer, which is essentially turkish tabbouleh-- tomatoes, lots of sumak, parsley, lemon juice and paprika.  My tukish homies think mine is pretty damn close to the real thing, if not better.

Sounds good, could you post the recipe?

maybe this betrays me as a gung-ho cook, but as far as i'm concerned, that IS the recipe

[uberleet]

my favorite use is Kemer, which is essentially turkish tabbouleh-- tomatoes, lots of sumak, parsley, lemon juice and paprika.  My tukish homies think mine is pretty damn close to the real thing, if not better.

Sounds good, could you post the recipe?

maybe this betrays me as a gung-ho cook, but as far as i'm concerned, that IS the recipe

Smartass

My actual question was more like this: how much sumac would you typically use? Do you rely more on the sumac or the lemon for souring? I freehand my tabbouleh, but I'd never thought of adding sumak (or using quinoa, for that matter). I guess I better just go try it.

[Toasted]

Tasty stuff! I made a pot tonight- just the basic recipe on the package but

I added some S & P and butter. I'm going to shape the leftovers into little

patties tomorrow and lightly fry them. Maybe add some grated cheese first-

and some diced peppers.

[tsquare]

Another article (some recipes in the same paper, not linked...)

The Seattle Times

[cakewalk]

I tried this last night as well. I had been reading about it somewhere (I can't remember where) and then this thread appeared. I sauted some onions in olive oil and added them to the cooked quinoa, which I had roasted for a few minutes before cooking as per package directions (smells great as it starts to roast, and they pop!)

It was good, but I felt that the texture was very light and sort of insubstantial, and I think that takes some getting used to. Maybe I'm comparing it to rice and other grains rather than taking it on its own. I can easily sit down and eat a bowl of brown rice with nothing added to it (I love rice). I'm not so sure I could eat plain quinoa. But I'll keep experimenting. Its nutritional qualities are very attractive.

[fimbul]

Qunioa really is grand stuff. For whatever reason, I've taken to it in a way I never took to other grains.

I'll occasionally simmer some in stock until tender, then toss it with dried fruits or sauteed veggies and a white wine vinaigrette and serve it at room temp or slightly warmer. I'll also cook it in a bit of fat with minced leeks or shallots, add a bit of stock and cook it like a risotto until it's tender, then top it with confitted tomatoes. Mounded, quinoa's a great base for squab, duck, or chicken. Lefdtover, you can use it to stuff jalapeno chiles before frying them.

Amaranth, which is similar, is also fun, but a bit more baffling. I'm still not sure what I think.