British Red & White Quinoa

What Is Quinoa?

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a small, ancient grain. It has been a staple food in the Andes for thousands of years.

Technically, it isn’t a grain, but a seed from goosefoot. Quinoa has a nutty flavour and is slightly chewy when cooked. It makes an excellent side dish or a crunchy addition to salads.

Unlike cereal grains, quinoa is one of the few plants sufficiently high in all nine essential amino acids our bodies can't make on their own to be considered a 'complete protein'.

The most common types of quinoa are white, red, and black. White quinoa cooks the fastest, has the least crunchy texture and mildest flavour. Red is has a slightly stronger flavour and crunch. It's a bit heartier and chewier and takes slightly longer to cook. Black is the crunchiest and most flavourful – slightly sweeter than the others.

Cooking With Quinoa

I recommend thoroughly rinsing before cooking to remove its outer coating (called saponin). If not rinsed, this can leave a bitter and soapy taste once the quinoa is cooked.

Use quinoa in the way that you would for rice, couscous, pilaf, barley etc. To cook, just prepare as if it were rice. Cover with water or vegetable broth and simmer over medium heat until soft, about 15 minutes, giving it a couple quick stirs.

Then just add some veggies and a dressing to make an easy quinoa salad, or swap out white rice for quinoa to serve with any kind of vegetable stir-fry or substitute it in any fried rice dish. Quinoa also makes a great hot breakfast cereal, similar to oatmeal.

For a fast and simple side dish, drizzle over some olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice or a bit of garlic and add a touch of nutritional yeast or almond parmesan.

If you cook a little extra, pop it into an airtight container in the fridge or freezer, and you'll have some ready to toss it into any dish for added texture and nutrition.