Name: Quinoa rice recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total 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

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

Quinoa rice in a white bowl, with more in the background in a bowl

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.

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.

All the ingredients needed to make this rice recipe with quinoa

The ingredients you need are:

Vegetable oil
Garlic
Ginger
Onion
Celery
Carrots
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Cooked quinoa
Frozen peas
Baby corn
Scallions

All the basic ingredients you should have in your pantry.

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

Adding ginger, scallion and garlic to hot wok

Add onions, celery, and diced carrots

Add the rest of the oil and the soy sauce/sesame oil mixture

Adding remaining oil and soy sauce to pot

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!!

Finshed cooked quinoa rice in a pot ready to be served

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.

Quinoa laid out in a white plate on a brown burlap napkin

What to pair this with

Just like fried rice, this would be great by itself of pair it with some meat options.

Yield: 4

Author: Renz