Coconut Quinoa Recipe with step by step photos. An amazingly healthy and light yet filling lunch to pack for lunch boxes especially for diabetic people and perfect for people who are looking forward to reduce weight.
Quinoa is considered as one of the super food in the world because of its high protein and fibre content making it a perfect food for the vegetarians and vegans. It is way more nutritious because it is also rich in iron, magnesium and manganese making it an amazing rice and wheat substitute.
I started using quinoa 3 years ago and did not like it much, so instead of waiting and allowing it to grow on me, I gave off the pack to my friend and did not bother with it again. But now, I feel that I have come a full circle and couldn’t get enough of it.
I made this Coconut Quinoa, 2 weeks ago for my lunch and simply loved it. So I decided to make it again today for neivedhyam. It is the same as making coconut rice but we are just substituting rice with quinoa.
Quinoa is great because it has almost 8 to 10 gms of protein per cup, cooked and not only that, do you know that,
- Quinoa has the highest nutritional profile and cooks the fastest of all the grains.
Our Favorite Video:
- It’s gluten free and easy to digest.
- It is low in Glycemic index making it an apt food for diabetic people.
- It is an extremely high energy grain.
- It is every vegetarian’s super food because it contains all eight amino acids making it a complete protein.
Important:
Quinoa produces a naturally occurring, bitter coating that is toxic in nature called “Saponin”. So, quinoa is usually rinsed before being packaged and sold in the market. But it is better to rinse it again before using at home, like how we rinse rice, dals and vegetables.
Note:
The ratio of quinoa to water is usually 1:2 and 1 cup when cooked will give 3 cups of quinoa. But I use 1:4 always to cook, as it is more fluffy and the grains remain separate and soft even if I refrigerate the left overs. They do not become hard and chewy with this ratio.
Coconut Quinoa with stepwise photos:
1. Heat a pan with coconut oil. Temper with mustard seeds. Once it crackles, add urad dal, chana dal, dry red chili and roast till the dals get golden in color. Add grated ginger, curry leaves, green chili and saute for 1/2 minute.
2. Add grated coconut and saute for a minute to get mixed well with other ingredients in the pan.
3. Add cooked quinoa, salt and mix well.
4. Toss well for one more minute and take the pan off the stove. Garnish with roasted peanuts and serve hot.
Coconut Quinoa Recipe details below:
Coconut Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
- Quinoa - 1/4 cup
- Water - 1 cup
- Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsp
- Green chili - 1 small
- Ginger - 1/4 tsp grated
- Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
- Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
- Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
- Dry red chili - 1
- Curry leaves - few
- Roasted Peanuts - 1/2 tbsp
- Salt - to taste
- Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Instructions
How to cook Quinoa:
- Place quinoa in a fine mesh and rinse well with water.
- Soak quinoa in 1 cup water for 10 mins. Then cook covered for 3 to 5 mins over low flame.
- Once the water dries up completely, switch off the stove and let it rest for 5 mins.
- Open the lid, fluff up cooked quinoa with a fork and set aside.
How to make Coconut Quinoa:
- Heat a pan with coconut oil. Temper with mustard seeds.
- Once it crackles, add urad dal, chana dal, dry red chili and roast till the dals get golden in color.
- Add grated ginger, curry leaves, green chili and saute for 1/2 minute.
- Add grated coconut and saute for a minute to get mixed well with other ingredients in the pan.
- The coconut will be lightly toasted by this time.
- Add cooked quinoa, salt and mix well.
- Toss well for one more minute and take the pan off the stove.
- Garnish with roasted peanuts and serve this coconut quinoa hot with any chips or dry curry of your choice.
Kalyani
lovely rice substitute for rice in this thengai saadam, RAdhika ! bookmarkin !
Thank you so much Kalyani. I love this more than the one with regular rice.
Priya
Do you cook the quinoa in pressure cooker ( with the 1:4 ratio)? Please add information about how many whistles. Thank you,