How do you cook quinoa?

Question

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?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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).

Answer 3

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.