Quinoa seasoned with mustard, spices and onions

It's my first Christmas in Portland. I have lived here for 2 1/2 years now and never been in the city during Christmas. It's surprising to see how busy all the shopping malls are. Just today we went to one near our home which is rather small and could not find any parking at all, which is quiet surprising as there is usually lots of parking in the area.

I have been at the shopping malls a lot lately, thanks to my sister who is visiting from India. So when it comes to cooking I don't have the time and patience to cook. Rice is staple food in South India, where I have lived for most part of my life. It is easy to cook and does not require a lot of effort. I have been trying to replace rice with quinoa in a variety of different dishes. My mom makes amazing vagharela quinoa, which means seasoned quinoa. And I made a similar dish just last week, here is the recipe.

Recipe: Quinoa seasoned with mustard, spices and onions

Serves: 2

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 green chili slit lengthwise
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
4-5 curry leaves

Spices

1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste.

 1. Wash the quinoa using a sieve and place in a pot with 2 cups of water on medium flame. Let it cook for 7-8 mins. Cook until the water has almost evaporated. Switch the flame off and close the pot and let it sit for 4-5 mins. This makes the Quinoa fluffy.

If you need detailed explanation on how to cook Quinoa, here are some good tips from thekitchn.com which I absolutely love.

2. To the cooled quinoa add all the spices and mix with a fork.

3. In a pan, add olive oil, mustard and jeera. Once the seasoning starts to splutter, add the green chili, curry leaves, onions and chopped garlic. Add a pinch of salt to let the onions cook faster.

4. Next add the quinoa with the spices to the cooked onions. Stir and let the quinoa cook until everything is blended perfectly. This would take 4-5 mins.

5. Garnish with chopped cilantro or spring onions and serve hot.

Quinoa Peas Pulao

On a glommy fall evening, all you want to do is snuggle by the fireplace and read a book or watch a movie. Cooking is the last thing you want to do. This Quinoa Pulao is easy, healthy and delicious. It takes only a few minutes to cook and most of the ingredients are in your pantry already ! So lets start cooking.

Recipe:

Time : 20 mins
Preparation : 5 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Quinoa - 1cup
Water or Vegetable Broth - 2 cups

Peas - 1/4 cup

Onion - chopped finely - 1/4 cup.
Paneer - 10 pieces ( cubed) - optional

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Green chili - 2-3 ( depending on your spice level)

Mint leaves - a handful 

Gharam masala - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tsp

To Temper:
Jeera - 1 tsp

Cloves - 2-3

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece

* In a pot or dutch oven add olive oil and all the ingredients under the 'to temper ' list.

* The jerra will turn a golden brown, add the chopped onions to it with a pinch of salt. The salt will help the onions sweat and cook faster.

* When the onions have a pink tinge on them, add ginger-garlic paste, sauté for 2-3 mins. Add the paneer now if you have it. Sauté for few more mins.

* Add the green chili, peas, gharam masala, and mint leaves and sauté for a min or so. 

* Rinse the quinoa using a kitchen strainer. Add the washed quinoa to the pot.

* For every 1 cup of quinoa you will require 2 cups of water or broth. Let the quinoa cook until you can see the germ of the quinoa around it. The quinoa should have a ring around it, it is called the germ of the quinoa.

* To make quinoa fluffy, close the lid of the vessel after you switch off the stove and let it sit for a few minutes. Fluff the quinoa gently with a fork. Serve with Fava beans raita.

Here are more tips on how to make your quinoa fluffy.