Cooking Quinoa

The Inca super grain Quinoa, pronounced as keen-wah, was known as the Gold of the Incas for good reasons and it’s because of its many healthy nutrients and benefits. It used to be unknown but now due to its high protein content and nutrients, it is becoming quite popular in health food circles. Still, it is not easily available everywhere.

The Quinoa is quite interestingly varied in colors as there are also red, black, white and many other colored Quinoa. However, to find as many dizzying colors or any variation of this seed, you will need to find it at health food stores. Although it is often mistaken as a grain, this is in fact a seed. Seed or grain, the contention is still that it should be added to your regular diet due to its health benefits as it contains essential amino acids and lysine. Best of all, quinoa is also gluten-free.

Quinoa may seem foreign and not simple to cook but it is pretty much like rice, thus it is quite easy to cook. Although there are very few Quinoa recipes to be found, the simplest way to cook Quinoa is to boil it in water. The portions is simple too, just add a portion of Quinoa to two portion of water and you won’t go wrong. The most difficult part about cooking Quinoa is the washing part in the beginning.

Many packaged Quinoa nowadays are de-saponised but there are still some that sells Quinoa with its saponin layer. The saponin is a bitter outer layer that protects the seed from natural predators like birds and insects. It is largely unpalatable so it is best that it be removed through soaking and thorough washing and rinsing. Furthermore,the saponin contains oxalic acid which may cause allergic reactions to those allergic to oxalic acid. Here are the instructions on how to get rid of the saponin if your Quinoa was not de-saponised:

Soak the Quinoa in water for a few hours. Rinse it thoroughly and strain the Quinoa through a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. Then soak it again and rinse thoroughly. You will need to completely remove the saponin, which makes the water you soak the Quinoa in appear soapy. The best way to clean out the saponin is to continue rinsing the Quinoa till the water is clear and not soapy.

It is after you are certain that you have removed all the traces of saponin that you can proceed to cook the Quinoa the way you like it. For plain Quinoa to go with other food, you only need to boil two cups water with one cup of Quinoa and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes. It is cooked when it has doubled in size. You can also add seasoning before boiling the Quinoa in a pot, such as salt, sauces or if it’s for breakfast, you can even add milk for some creamy breakfast Quinoa! Do try it and you will love the nutty, fragrant flavor of Quinoa.