Quinoa is one of the top Superfoods
November 11th, 2008 at 03:07pm Under Cooking Tips
Quinoa is not a new fad but has been around for over 3000 years. It is still grown mainly in Bolivia and Ecuador although farmers in the southern states of the USA are now growing quinoa as it becomes more and more popular. In the UK it is now available in some of the major supermarkets as well as the larger health food stores.
What is quinoa?
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To find quinoa you will need to go to the grain section of the shop or catalogue. It comes from the same plant family as spinach and you can eat the leaves in the same way. The leaves can be eaten, not just the seeds. Of course the leaf version is only available where it is grown as it does not store or travel well. The quinoa seed is by far the best way to get the full goodness from quinoa.
What is Quinoa Like?
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The Quinoa seeds are little oval seeds 2 – 3 mm in size. There are different varieties but the most common one is the creamy white type. Red and black quinoa is much rarer. They come in dry packs of 500g or 1kg ready for you to cook. You can replace any favourite rice dish you have with quinoa very easily. This doesn’t mean it is bland and uninteresting – far from it. It has a taste and original texture of its own.
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How do you cook Quinoa?
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The most basic method of cooking quinoa is to boil it in water and simmer for 10 -12 minutes. The proportions for cooking are 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. All the water will be absorbed by the Quinoa. Occasionally you will come across quinoa that still has a bitter saponin coating. If you find this is the case you must pre-rinse it before you go and cook it. Nearly all the quinoa you cn buy now has been rinsed before packing but its better to be sure.
When it is ready to eat you simply use it as an accompaniament to you main dish or indeed as a solo meal. You can also include it salads and soups. You will find that it blends well with most foods as it absorbs the flavour of the accompanying ingredients.
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If you look closely you can see a “tail” that is just the quinoa germ. It has a crunchy feel to the mouth. This is why I think people say it tastes a bit nutty. I’m not sure I agree but quinoa does taste good.
You can microwave quinoa and put it in casseroles as a thickening agent. You can also find quinoa flour and quinoa flakes that you can bake with. You do have to go careful with the quinoa flour because it is not a straight substitue for wheat flour.
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What is special about Quinoa?
Quinoa has a number of unique qualities. Being Gluten free you can include it into almost any special diet and it will not cause any health complications. Vegans and vegetarians eat it to give them the amino acids that quinoa contains. Because of its carbohydrate makeup its helps sufferers of diabetes and otherr illnesses.
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