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How do you cook quinoa? I mean what equipment do you use (electric cooker, pressure cooker, stove top)? Do you add spices or vegetables to it while cooking it?

Aaronut
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Surya
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4 Answers4

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Quinoa naturally contains a bitter compound on the outside of the seed. Usually you have to rinse the quinoa to remove the bitterness but most commercial quinoa seems to have already been rinsed. So, I no longer rinse my quinoa. If you have time, it's nice to heat a pan and add the quinoa and toast it a little (for a nutty flavor and fluffier texture), then add water and salt. I typically bring the water to a boil (2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa plus 1/4 tsp salt), cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-20 minutes (or until the little tails release). Lately I've found that using a rice cooker is a no-fuss way to prepare quinoa. I usually just do quinoa, water and sea salt but you can add spices while cooking it if you want to enhance the flavor. I would add vegetables afterwards. Quinoa is so quick-cooking I wouldn't see the need for a pressure cooker.

Kimmy
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I use it in 3 different ways:

  1. "Raw": I put it as a crust for many of my breads, or deep fry coatings.
  2. Boiled: I boil it like couscous and enjoy it that way as a rice substitute.
  3. Flour substitute: I usually substitute it for flour (max of a 1/2 cup).
dassouki
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I generally

  • cover it with water in a saucepan,
  • boil it for around 10 minutes,
  • drain it

and then use it in the same way I'd serve rice. I find it tastier than rice and like the texture. I don't usually add anything, but I'm sure you could.

codeinthehole
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Good question, Surya. It's interesting to know what kinds of questions others have about quinoa.

Our family cooks quinoa in a plain stainless steel pot. No fancy equipment needed.

We usually throw in some spices while it's cooking. The best for us are garlic, onion, basil, and oregano.

Then when it's done cooking we'll usually sprinkle some olive oil (extra-virgin, cold-pressed) and salt on it.

Finally we serve it with broccoli and peas and sometimes lentil beans.

We give some more details about cooking quinoa on our page if you're interested -- How to Cook Quinoa.

Hope this helps.

Paul
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