Not everyone knows, but even though quinoa is marketed as a grain, it is not a real grain. Quinoa seeds have a high nutritional value. It contains a complete protein, rich in all essential amino acids as well as dietary fiber, phosphorus, iron and magnesium. Quinoa, by the way, is a gluten-free dish.
So while these seeds are a common food around the world, many of us fail to prepare them successfully. If you want to prepare this healthy and nutritious raw material perfectly every time and without much effort, you should follow these rules.
Quinoa preparation
It's very simple: put one cup of quinoa in a medium saucepan, add two cups of water and half a teaspoon of salt to it and boil everything until the water boils. While doing so, stir the contents of the pot from time to time so that the quinoa grains do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the water boils, keep heat to a minimum and continue stirring the contents of the pot until the grains absorb all the liquid for about 15 minutes.
Then, remove the pot from the heat and pour a little olive oil, lemon juice and herbs into it. If you want – you can also add salt and pepper.
There's no way you'll get in trouble. Quinoa, Photo: Getty Images
Improvement requested
Want to improve the dish? Add vegetable or chicken broth to the pot to enhance the quinoa flavor. In this case, you can also reduce the amount of salt you add to the dish at the very beginning of its preparation, as these hinges have a rich flavor.
What about soaking quinoa? Well, you don't have to do this before you start cooking – but it won't be so bad if you soak it. Why you should soak: Soaking removes phytic acid, which can help people digest quinoa more easily. If you just want to remove the bitterness of quinoa, you can rinse it under cold water for about a minute. This washes away saponin, a kind of natural food additive with a bitter taste that envelops the quinoa grains.
And what do you do with the quinoa after it's ready? Place it in a suitable container and transfer it to the refrigerator. You can consume the quinoa that you have stored for five days from the day it is prepared.
Quinoa, Photo: Getty Images
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us