Quinoa Rice Recipe
October
14, 2020
Tired of regular fried rice? This quick quinoa rice recipe is a great
substitute for the traditional dish.
Make this your next quick, weeknight option for your family
Stepping outside my regular Caribbean recipes post today to share this quick quinoa rice recipe.
We eat a lot of fried rice over here so sometimes it can get to be a bit monotonous. If you are like us, then this quinoa rice is a good replacement option.
It's quick, full of flavor, and is a healthy option.
This recipe was initially shared with me by Khia with Gotta have Khia. She was
introduced to this superfood when her dad visited and she fell in love.
She was inspired to create this recipe after seeing Cooking for Keeps' recipe.
Quinoa is a gluten-free superfood that is low carb and has become very popular.
It is referred to as a whole grain that contains all nine essential amino acids.
It is most lauded for its high level of protein though. And has been a great substitution for rice.
As mentioned this is a quick recipe. Having all your ingredients in place in the key to not burning, or missing adding things.
The ingredients you need are:
She was inspired to create this recipe after seeing Cooking for Keeps' recipe.
What is quinoa?
Quinoa is a gluten-free superfood that is low carb and has become very popular.
It is referred to as a whole grain that contains all nine essential amino acids.
It is most lauded for its high level of protein though. And has been a great substitution for rice.
How to make quinoa fried rice
As mentioned this is a quick recipe. Having all your ingredients in place in the key to not burning, or missing adding things.
The ingredients you need are:
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Cooked quinoa
- Frozen peas
- Baby corn
- Scallions
Mix up your soy sauce and sesame oil and set it aside.
Heat your wok with oil and when hot add ginger, garlic, and scallion
Add onions, celery, and diced carrots
Add the rest of the oil and the soy sauce/sesame oil mixture
Then go ahead and fold in the quinoa
Add your peas and baby corn
Once everything is warmed through, add the rest of the scallions and voila!!
Should I rinse quinoa?
The main reason I think a lot of people don't like quinoa is because of the "soapy" taste. There is a bitter outer later of saponins on quinoa that gives that taste.
To get rid of that layer, the suggestion is to rinse the quinoa so that that layer dissolves.
Some packages say that this pseudo-grain comes pre-washed while others tell you to just go ahead and cookout of the package.
To avoid any taste, the best suggestion is to rinse the quinoa for 2 minutes so that the saponins will dissolve and you eliminate the "soapy" taste
Storage and reheating
This dish can stay in the fridge for up to four days. I doubt it will have to stay that long though.
You have to be careful about reheating quinoa. With too much heat, quinoa dries out and gets rubbery.
Reheat in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl and if it has a cover use the cover. If not then you can use a paper towel to cover it.
When reheating, stop it momentarily to fluff the quinoa up and to also check to see if it has been heated through. We don't want it to be reheated for more time than it's necessary.
What to pair this with
Just like fried rice, this would be great by itself of pair it with some meat options.
Yield: 4
Quinoa rice recipe
A quick and easy alternative to the traditional comfort dish, this quinoa rice recipe can easily be made using your pantry staples
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 4 MinTotal time: 14 Min
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoons ginger, finely minced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup baby corn, chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped & divided
Instructions
- Mix soy sauce and sesame oil, and set aside.
- Heat wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add 1/2 amt of oil and crank up heat closer to high.
- Add ginger, garlic, and 1/2 of the scallions to the oil and cook till fragrant. Stir to keep the aromatics moving, trying not to let them burn.
- Add onions celery and diced carrots, cook until onions are just translucent.
- Add remaining oil plus the soy sauce/sesame oil mixture, and cook for about a minute.
- Fold in the quinoa, vegetables, and sauce until well incorporated.
- Next goes in the frozen peas and baby corn. Give it another quick mix and cook until the peas are warmed through.
- Garnish with the remaining scallion.
- Grab those chopsticks and dig in!
Notes:
The fried "rice" is a quick cook, so make sure you have everything chopped and ready to go, or if you're going all out with your chef persona, have your mise en place (roughly translated to "everything in its place") ready.
You can easily adjust the corn and carrots to something else you like. Mushrooms, broccoli are good options.
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Yes...this is just the tasty recipe I look for when making grains...and quinoa is the grain of choice rightnow. We loved this.
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