Quinoa

[gossifairyonthexmastree]

Anyone know how to cook it please?

bumpity bump

I have a box taunting me from the cupboard.

It's fairly straightforward, I think (says she who has never used it). Treat it like rice.

hello gossifer!
i have only ever used it in vegetable stews... just chuck a handful in while cooking.
it has a kind of nutty taste... would imagine it would be fine as a substitute for rice.
or cook it in some stock for extra flavour

I think you just boil it? Or sprout it?

I always found it tasted goaty, though.

This page looks quite informative.

we're proper earth mothers we are. we have quinoa.

I sprout it

Put in three parts water to one part quinoa and boil for ten minutes or until the seed starts to come apart. I put stock in the water too. Yum!

I have Quinoa!! I bought it because Gillian McKeith 'told' me to!

It has sat in my cupboard now for 8 months, 3 weeks. I don't know WTF do DO with it!! (And it is destined to sit there longer still... "goaty".. ugh!! )

gosh, this all looks really exciting!
shall get me sprouter out i shall and dust it off and then go and knit myself a chickpea scarf after!

You add boiling water twice the volume of the quinoa, then simmer for at least 10 mins (until the grain and kernel have separated). Or you can add to casseroles to slow cook in with whatever. I use it for ds in place of rice or couscous, a healthy bit of variety (and thanks for the tip laura032004 - who introduced me to it!).

Can you not make a nice creamy porridge out of it? [asks hopefully]....

It's not goaty. It's relatively flavour-free. You have to make a nice sauce to go with it. Like someone said, treat it like rice. It's much healthier though.

I sometimes have quinoa salad. It's basically cold quinoa with puy lentils, sundried toms, garlic, peppers, maybe some chunks of nice blue cheese, walnuts and some dressing. Perhaps some very finely minced onions in there.

it's really nice! Make sure you rinse it first (think the grains are coated with something bitter and not v good for you), then boil it like rice.

I rinse it three times myself. Use it as a morning cereal in a slow cooker - cook overnight substituted orange juice or apple juice for water. Add dried fruit, maple syrup, cinammon.

Mmmm.

no, it doesn't really go creamy like rice - it's more like couscous.

And it comes out a really fab shape - with a sort of curly tail (the sprout). I love it, but DD and DS not so keen, sadly.

thanks everyone for this

i love MN!!!!!

I probably didn't rinse it enough. I just tried to make it once, and it smelled goaty (live goat, not dead). But that might be the coating.

I certainly didn't know how to cook when I tried this.

Now I'm thinking about getting some.

Oh, hey, how hard is a sprouter to use? DS1 is mad for sprouts ...

NQC
It needs rinsed a lot. Three times I do it.

Yeah, that no doubt was the problem.

I should give other grains a go, we're in a bit of a rut with starches.

A little O/T but .... I would strongly advise anyone against experiementing with millet. It simply tastes nasty and I don't know why anyone puts themself through it. Whatever Gillian McKeith says.

Um, I used to like millet! I ate it all the time, in soups and stuff.

Now I really miss barley. I used to love barley.

cook it first according to packet instructions and then add a couple of dollops of pesto sauce and serve with fish or as a salad/side to main dish. Yummy!

i tried it was utterly vile like tiny slimy tadpoles. then i read it is essential to toast it in a dry pan before trying anything, then it is delicious. but i'd already thrown it away

i have millet! makes me feel a bit like a budgie though.

pearl barley is yummy. and bulgar wheat