How to Cook Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain-like crop that is very high in protein. [Technically it isn’t a grain.] This makes it an ideal protein source for vegetarians and a good alternative if you want a break from beef and chicken. To me, quinoa is like a blank piece of paper. If you cook it and eat it plain, it is blah and boring. However, there are dozens of ways to dress it up and make it delicious. But the first step is to cook the quinoa. That is what we are going to demonstrate in this post.

Step 1: Wash your quinoa

Quinoa is coated with saponin which is bitter tasting. [Saponin is nature’s protective coating that keeps the birds and insects from eating the quinoa seeds. This coating is soapy and must be removed to make the grain palatable. Most quinoa sold in this country has already been cleansed of its saponin. But quinoa should be rinsed thoroughly before cooking to remove any powdery residue.] So the first step is to remove the saponin by rinsing the quinoa. Not a problem if you have a fine mesh strainer. If you don’t have one, and the holes in your strainer are too large, the quinoa will get washed down the drain. Not good… Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and run water over it until the water runs clean. Let the excess drip off.

Step 2: Dry your quinoa

Personally, I think my quinoa tastes better if I dry toast it. This is a simple process that can be skipped if time is of the essence but it is worth trying at least once. Place your drained quinoa in a pot and turn the heat on your burner to medium. Continuously stir the quinoa to help the water evaporate. You may see a little steam. You will know this step is done when it appears that the quinoa is starting to stick to the bottom of the pot. It leaves a faint mark. At this point it is time to add your cooking liquid.

Step 3: Add your cooking liquid

Cooking quinoa is similar to cooking brown rice. You can use either water or stock as your cooking liquid. The ratio is 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. In other words that would be 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa.

Add your liquid to the pot that contains the toasted quinoa carefully because it may splutter and steam. Once the liquid is added, bring it to a boil, stir once, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the quinoa cook for about 12 minutes. You will know it is done when you see a white ring in the grain. Taste it.  It should be easy to chew with maybe a little toothiness, like al dente pasta.

Step 4: Finish the quinoa in the pot

This last step is important if you are going to let your quinoa cool and use it in a salad. Remove the pot from the heat. Place a kitchen towel over the top of the pot and replace the lid. [The lid may not sit tight at this point.]  This will allow the quinoa to finish cooking and absorb all the liquid. The towel will catch the liquid that has condensed on the inside of the pot lid and stop it from dripping into the cooked quinoa. VERY IMPORTANT–make sure the towel does not drape over the side of the pot anywhere near the burner that was just used because it could catch on fire. Leave the pot this way for about 10 minutes.

Step 5: Use or Cool your quinoa

At this point your quinoa is done. If you are using it immediately, bon appetit! If you are going to cool it for later use, dump the quinoa into a large bowl and toss it occasionally. The larger the surface area of the cooling dish, the quicker it will cool.

Read Full Post »