Do you desire to improve your cooking skills and try something more challenging? If you want to enhance your skills, you can learn the perks of and steps on how to cook quinoa without hassles and overbearing steps. For the cooking enthusiasts that are not familiar with quinoa, cooking this ingredient would surely be a thrilling experience. Quinoa is a tasty food that is rich in fiber and loaded with high content of protein.
On top of that, quinoa is also gluten-free.For today’s guide, I will share with you some of the ways to prepare it so that you will know how to cook quinoa with ease. This guide also aims to provide you the different means of cooking it as well as the variety of tips that could be of great use to you. This guide also aims in providing simple remedies to deal with the common challenges and fixes as you cook quinoa.
As an avid food enthusiast, I would recommend that you try to eat or cook quinoa. For one, this seed offers more protein than any other grains or seed sold in the market today. It has the essential amino acids that our bodies need. Quinoa is also a good resource for calcium and it is high in lysine. Other minerals and vitamins associated to be present in quinoa are B vitamins and iron. On top of that, the seed is easy to digest and rich in nutrition.
A seed that thrived for many centuries has different types. Some quinoas are tan colored or others have yellow form. Other colors include orange, pink, red, black or even purple. The varieties are available in most health food stalls.
The tastes are the same with all other kinds. The quinoa seeds are stored in an airtight container and usually placed in the fridge regardless of its kind. The quinoa seeds can be stored for many months just like your regular rice.
Cooking quinoa offers many advantages besides being a staple food supply and one of these advantages is connected to your health. To put it simply, here are some of the health benefits.
Has ample nutritions such as protein, fiber, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, folate, copper, iron, zinc and potassium.It has plant compounds such as quercetin and kaempferol that helps acts as anti-inflammatory medicine. It is also anti-viral and has anti-cancer features.The seed is gluten-free and ideal for people that have gluten intoleranceIt has a low glycemic index, ideal for those that struggles with blood sugar controlIt improves metabolic healthIt is very high anti-oxidantHelps you in losing your weightEasy to integrate in your diet plan
The quinoa seeds may seem new or foreign to you, but this product is one of the healthy replacements for rice. There are many methods that you can utilize to cook quinoa. The wide berth of options are remarkable and surprisingly, it is one of the easiest foods to cook and prepare.
Do not forget to consider the exact amount of quinoa for your family meal: 1 cup dry quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa.
If you want to replace rice with quinoa. It is possible. You can cook quinoa through a stovetop and make it as your substitute rice instead. Here are some of the ways to do it. If you're looking to substitute rice and serve it with a roasted meat cooked in a propane smoker, try to cook quinoa with a stovetop. Here are some of the steps that you need to follow.
Step - by - Step Procedure
Step 1
Begin by preparing your ingredients and it includes one cup of quinoa, two cups of broth or you can use water. Also prepare salt and olive oil.
Step 2
Rinse or wash the quinoa. To rinse the quinoa, you need a strainer and under running water, rinse it. By washing, you will remove the excess saponins, an ingredient that causes a bitter taste.
Step 3
Using a non-stick cookware pan, you can toast the quinoa in it.
Step 4
Drizzle the quinoa with olive oil and turn the heat to a medium range.
Step 5
Let it cook for one minute to make it nutty.
Step 6
Get the water and pour it in the quinoa and let it boil.
Step 7
Let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until the color becomes translucent.
Step 8
Get the pan away from the heat and let your quinoa cool for five minutes. Let the moisture be absorbed.
Step 9
By using a fork, you can fluff the quinoa and you will see that the seeds will separate from the germ.
Step 10
Serve the quinoa while it is still hot so that the flavor and its nutritious elements are preserved.
If you prefer to use a rice cooker instead of an induction heater or cook top, that is also doable. This method is the easiest and speediest means to cook quinoa.
The process is fast, less complex and most of all, easy to follow and do. Through this method, you can still prepare and cook quinoa. The process is basically similar to the previous method that I have mentioned above. Moreover, if your quinoa is not pre-rinsed when you bought it, then washing it and rinsing it should be one of the first few things that you must do.
Step - by - Step Procedure
Step 1
Some rice cookers have different settings, so check the label first before deciding to cook your quinoa using a rice cooker.
Step 2
The first step involves pouring your quinoa to a rice cooker. You can have the option to toast it before placing it in or not.
Step 3
Get two cups of broth or just plain water (for one cup of quinoa) and pour it on the rice cooker.
Step 4
You can also add vegetable stocks if you happen to have some or serve it alongside a spaghetti squash.
Step 5
Proceed by cooking the seeds and let it simmer for roughly 15 minutes or until you noticed that the seeds are tender.
Step 6
When it is cooker, let it cool for five minutes, use a fork and fluff it and then serve it. If you prefer more add ons, you can serve it along a spaghetti squash or other vegetables of your own choosing.
Cooking quinoa using an oven is pretty easy if you know the simple steps. Before you serve your favorite meat, you can use the quinoa as a replacement for your rice. The process is simple and easy to follow.
Step - by - Step Procedure
Step 1
Prepare your oven and set the preheat to 350 degrees F.
Step 2
Use the middle rack of the oven
Step 3
You need to heat two tablespoons of olive oil using medium or low heat.
Step 4
Get some peppers, mushrooms or onions for additional seasoning.
Step 5
Add herbs and vegetables to make it more nutritious.
Step 6
You need to sauté the onion until the color becomes translucent but be sure to not burn it.
Step 7
Add the salt along with the quinoa in the cookware and continually stir it for 30 seconds.
Step 8
Pour the cup of water onto a cookware or pan and allow it to boil
Step 9
Once it is boiled, move the seeds to a baking dish and spread it.
Step 10
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and for 20 minutes, bake it.
Step 11
Remove the foil and add more ingredients such as seasonings or cheese. Also, make sure that it is baked thoroughly.
This process is considered as one of the fastest means to cook quinoa. Similar to the other ways of cooking quinoa, this method features the same process that you usually do when cooking quinoa using a cooking ware and a stove. To know the simple steps, here are the things that you must do.
Step - by - Step Procedure
Step 1
Put your quinoa in a container that works well with a microwave oven.
Step 2
Add two cups of water or broth (for one cup of quinoa)
Step 3
Cover the container and let it cook for six minutes the most
Step 4
Take out the container and stir it
Step 5
Once you stir it for more than 6 minutes or if you can see that the liquid have been absorbed, put it back to the over and let it cook again.
Step 6
For five minutes, allow the cooked seeds to cool off and the liquid be absorbed.
Remove the Bitterness
It is a fact that the grain could be bitter and one of the ways to remove the bitter taste of the quinoa seeds is to rinse it under running cold water. Also, you need to add twice the amount of salted water to remove the bitter taste.
Buy Pre-rinsed Quinoa
Surprisingly, the health market has provided pre-rinse quinoa and these products could be bought anywhere in most health food stalls.
Use Quinoa as a Side Dish
Since there are many ways to prepare quinoa even using an electric skillet, you can also use the quinoa as a side dish. Similar to the kimchi side dish that most korean eat, the quinoa could also be served as a side dish as well. It virtually works on any type of meals. You can serve quinoa with a baked fish or stews. It can also be utilized to add more health value to your salads, porridges, and even casseroles.
Toasts the Seeds
For additional favor, you can toasts the seeds using oil and make sure to set it to low heat.
