Quinoa is delicious, nutritious and easy to cook, especially with the rice cooker. Steaming is quick and ensures that the quinoa is grainy and light. If you wish, you can flavor the quinoa to taste by adding your favorite ingredients directly into the rice cooker. Try the basic recipe and then experiment with the many variations proposed by the article.
Ingrediants
- 170 g of quinoa
- 410 ml of water
- Half a teaspoon of salt
For 4 people
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Basic Recipe
Step 1. Rinse the quinoa with cold water
Pour 170 g of quinoa into a fine mesh colander (or sieve) and hold it under running water. Move the quinoa with your hand to rinse it well.
- It is important to rinse the quinoa before cooking it to remove the bitter substance that covers the seeds, called saponin.
- If the strainer's mesh isn't fine enough to hold the quinoa seeds, you can line it with a muslin cloth or coffee filter.
Step 2. Put the quinoa, cold water and salt in the rice cooker
Take a spoon and transfer the quinoa to the pot after rinsing it thoroughly. Add 410 ml of cold water, half a teaspoon of salt and then stir to help it dissolve.
Don't use hot water, or the quinoa will have a chewy texture
Step 3. Close the pot and turn it on
Put the lid on the rice cooker and press the power button. If the pot offers two cooking modes, one for white rice and one for brown rice, choose the first option. The cooking time required for quinoa is 15 minutes, the same as for white rice.
- Do not lift the lid while the rice cooker is in operation to avoid wasting the steam needed to cook the quinoa.
- Read the instruction manual if you are unsure about the settings and use of the rice cooker.
Did you know that?
The flavor of quinoa changes slightly depending on the variety, white, black or red, but the cooking time is almost identical.
Step 4. Let the quinoa sit for 3-5 minutes before shelling with a fork
Disconnect the plug from the electrical outlet, but do not remove the lid from the pot. Quinoa will absorb residual moisture as it rests. After about 5 minutes, open the rice cooker and crumble it gently with a fork.
Move the seeds with the fork to separate them from each other, this way the quinoa will have a lighter texture
Step 5. Serve the quinoa
You can serve it on its own, as a substitute for rice or another meal element, or combine it with other ingredients, creating new recipes each time. For example, you can let it cool, add some fresh vegetables and dress it with a vinaigrette if you want to make a quinoa salad.
- The leftover quinoa will last up to 5 days. Transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.
- Alternatively, you can freeze it and eat it within 2 months. Take it out of the freezer the day before you use it and let it thaw in the refrigerator.
Method 2 of 2: Basic Recipe Variations
Step 1. Replace the cooking water with a tastier liquid
One of the simplest ways to add flavor to quinoa is to replace the water with vegetable or chicken broth. The doses do not change, simply pour the broth into the rice cooker along with the quinoa in place of the water.
- If you are concerned that the broth will make the quinoa too salty, try using the low sodium one.
- Try adding a few drops of lemon juice to the broth to give the quinoa a citrusy hint.
Step 2. Use spices to give quinoa a unique taste
Add 2 tablespoons (12 g) of your favorite spices to the cooking liquid. The quinoa will absorb the flavors as it cooks. Choose the spices based on the other elements of the recipe based on the following ideas:
- If you intend to use quinoa to fill tacos or burritos for a vegan dinner, you can flavor it with cumin, coriander and lime juice;
- If you have been inspired by a Creole or Indian recipe, you can use curry;
- For Asian recipes, flavor quinoa with Chinese five-spice powder;
- Try a spice blend if you love strong flavors.
Suggestion:
if you want to use fresh herbs, add them to cooked quinoa just before serving.
Step 3. Flavor the quinoa with oil and herbs
Just add a crushed clove of garlic, a small piece of lemon zest or a sprig of fresh rosemary to instantly make it tastier. You can also season it with 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) of sesame oil, hazelnuts or walnuts, to give it the typical flavor of toasted seeds.
- Remove the garlic, zest, and herbs just before serving the quinoa.
- You can use an oil flavored with herbs or chili. Read this article if you want to know how to prepare it at home.
Step 4. Cook the quinoa in coconut milk and serve it with fresh fruit for breakfast
If the idea of experimenting with a different-than-normal breakfast teases you, cook the quinoa in the rice cooker, but replace the water with coconut milk. Let it cool and add your favorite ingredients just before serving, such as fresh fruit, honey and cinnamon.
- If you prefer, you can use cow's milk or vegetable milk, such as soy, hemp or almond milk.
- You can also use dehydrated fruit, but in this case it is best to cook it together with the quinoa, to rehydrate and soften it.
