Quinoa (spelt Kin-vah) has been a traditional South American staple for centuries. Its supposedly as common as our millets here. The missus and me, being frequent visitors to Heidi Swanson's website, where she uses quinoa extensively, often wondered what it would be like.
I happened to lay my hands on some red quinoa in the course of my travels. After a packed Saurday night schedule, neither of us were in a mood to make anything elaborate for breakfast. I took it on myself to try out this cereal. The instructions said it could be treated as rice and cooked as such.
I'd decided to try something simple which wouldn't overwhelm the grain. I tossed some onion and garlic into a soup pan and then mixed in the quinoa, toasting it well in the olive oil. 2 cups of water and 20mts later, my grain was cooked, with a translucent look. I added some newly bought grand padano, toasted pecan halves and pine nuts and fresh coriander.
The texture was nutty with a delicious bite, but certainly something that is an acquired taste. The olive oil and salt balanced the nuttiness with the cheese providing just the right amount of sourness.
This is definitely wort exploring more. Apart from its obvious health benefits, its a great texture grain to add into any salad.
No comments:
Post a Comment