We really enjoy making great quinoa. It is a grain that is very high in protein, so a healthy alternative to pasta or rice. We even use it instead of lettuce in quinoa bowls to make a salad type of dish that your muscles will love!

Prepping

It is important to rinse the grain before you cook. Saponins naturally occur on the outer shells of the quinoa and rinse off in cold water. You’ll be able to see them as you rinse… it almost looks like there was detergent or something on them the way they foam up. Saponins aren’t dangerous, but they are bitter, so rinse until the suds are gone and you’re good to move forward.

Our Method for Making Great Quinoa

Most people recommend boiling quinoa in a covered pot. We find that it makes a sticky mush! After many trials and errors, this has been the most consistently dependable method. The shells pop on the quinoa, so they are soft to eat, but still maintain their individuality… it doesn’t become oatmeal like, more like eating a couscous.

Place the quinoa and equivalent liquid in a sauce pan big enough to hold the volume you’ve decided to make. The ratio is always the same, 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid. We like to use chicken stock since it adds flavor. Each can of stock is about 2 cups, so will cover 1 cup of raw quinoa. For the video, we used 2 cups of grain and 2 cans of stock.

Cooking time varies by how much you are making, how dry it is for evaporation, etc. It will take 10-15 minutes to let the quinoa soak up all of the liquid you have added.

Bring the contents of the sauce pan to a boil, then lower the temperature to maintain a good simmer. Stir occasionally until most of the liquid absorbs, then stir more often to make sure nothing burns or sticks on the bottom of the pan. I start at a 7 out of 9 for heat on the stove to start the boil and slowly work down to a 4 as the liquid disappears.

Once the liquid evaporates and absorbs, remove it from heat and cover it. It needs to stay covered for at least 5 minutes to let the quinoa shells pop in the steam.

Uncover, fluff with a spoon, and you’re ready to serve!

We made this video if you’re interested in seeing how we made ours.

Making Great Quinoa

Recipe by HeCooks4Me.comCourse: Recipes, Side DishesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

222

kcal

Total time

25

minutes

We really enjoy quinoa. It is a grain that is very high in protein, so a healthy alternative to pasta or rice. We even use it instead of lettuce in quinoa bowls to make a salad type of dish that your muscles will love!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Quinoa

• 2 cans Chicken Stock (4 cups)

Directions

• Make as much or as little as you like, but always use 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid.
• Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh colander under cold water. Rinse until “suds” are gone, shaking the quinoa in the colander to let water hit all of the grains.
• Place quinoa and chicken stock (or water if you prefer) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to support a good simmer and continue until liquid is absorbed/evaporated, stirring more often as liquid decreases to avoid sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan.
• Once liquid is gone, remove pan from heat and cover for at least 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa and it’s ready to serve!

Recipe Video