Moomy's First Take On Quinoa

I'm usually a wee bit slow when it comes to certain things …

Like posting a birthday card on time (yeah, my BFFs can vouch this for me. I'm either too early or too late!).

Like getting ready to go somewhere (I can just about see my darling hubby nodding to this! :P)

Maybe this time round, I'm not that late but I finally got my hands on a pack of quinoa!!

Pronounced "KEEN-wah", this particular grain is said to be very, very healthy and high in iron, magnesium and fibre.

I couldn't wait to try this superfood (food that is supposedly really, really good for you and your health). In fact, I've already had a dish in mind: Quinoa a la Fried Rice. Its not complicated. Three basic steps, really ...

Here's how to (1) Prep the Q:
First, you need to rinse the grains. I read that the grains can be bitter but you can remove that bitterness by rinsing the quinoa several times. So pour 1 cup of quinoa into a fine sieve and rinse the quinoa as you would Thai Jasmine rice prior to cooking.

Each Q grain is coated by saponin, a natural "weapon" the plant uses to protect itself from predators. When you rinse the quinoa, the water will be frothy and smells slightly nutty. Rinse again and again till the water becomes clear. Clear water will indicate that you've washed that bitterness off the Q.

Once I was done with washing the grains, I just left it to drip-dry in the sieve. (I was excited to start cooking so I gently pressed the back of a spoon against the quinoa in the sieve to push through any last remaining droplets of water.)

Toss the dry quinoa into a pot over medium heat. Stir it around with a wooden spoon just to "toast" it for about a minute. We're not trying to brown these grains, OK? Dry-toasting the Q will help to develop a nuttier flavor without that bitterness.

Anyhoo, add 1 and a half cups of water (or veg/chicken broth for more flavor) into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the grains simmer for 12 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the lid and fluff your quinoa with a fork. If you can still see a wee bit of liquid in the pot, cover the lid and let it simmer for another minute or so.

Alternatively, my BFF poured her rinsed quinoa into the rice cooker. She used the 1:2 ratio (for every cup of Q, use 2 cups of water/broth) for this cooking method. Easy peasy.

So while the quinoa was cooking, I used the time to (2) Prep the Vegetables:

1 carrot: Skinned and diced finely.

Broccoli: I love my broccoli so I prepped quite a generous cupful of small florets of these greeny beauty.

Half a red pepper: Cored and diced finely.

A handful of sugar snap peas: According to size, I cut the peas into halves and thirds.

A good handful of cremini mushrooms: Trimmed and sliced finely.

Half an onion: Peeled and diced finely.

A couple of garlic cloves: Peeled and diced finely.

With all that prepping done, its time to (3) Assemble the Dish:

Heat up about 1 generous tablespoon of coconut oil (I had some already melted from a baking session earlier; you can always use veg oil or butter) in a wok over medium-high heat. 

To that, I added onions and carrots into the mixture. Stir it around the pan for about a minute or so before adding the sliced mushrooms and garlic into the mixture. I like my mushrooms nicely sautéed so give the shroomies about 2-3 minutes in the pan, before adding the other vegetables into the mixture - broccoli, sugar snap peas and red pepper. Continue to stir the mixture.

I also wanted some scrambled eggs in my dish (fried rice ain't complete without some eggs in it) so make a huge well in the middle of those veggies and crack 2 eggs into that spot. Let it cook for several seconds and scramble it.

How beautiful is that veggie mixture …?

Stir your mixture and add the ready quinoa into the wok. Stir thoroughly to combine.

Add a generous tablespoon of oyster sauce. Stir again to combine. Taste and season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

And ta-daaaa!! How's that for a meal, huh?

Quinoa a la fried rice fit for a Queen :D:D:D

I was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of quinoa. My darling hubby said it tasted wonderful and reminded him of couscous (he thought it was couscous at first hehehe). I loved that it was easy to prepare and together with a variety of vegetables, you can easily make quinoa into a beautiful meal. 

Its also good start to incorporate superfoods in our lifestyle. With all that work-related stress and toddlers' temper tantrums, it is soooo easy to succumb to the fat, juicy burgers that fast-food restaurants have to offer. 

But as I had shown above, you can make quinoa look and taste really good in as many steps as 1-2-3. 

To me, life's complicated enough and you don't need a complex recipe to further muddle your brain. It might seem that I cook fancy-schmancy meals but I don't. I just make sure that I keep a good supply of spices and basic essentials in my kitchen and with that, I can turn a simple chunk of meat into a beautiful Middle-Eastern dish or with a wonderful curry that will remind you of a tropical paradise.

So don't hesitate, alright? Make this quinoa dish that something new you try this week! :D:D:D