Quinoa Rice Recipe

14.10.20 | Recipe by Renz

Tired of regular fried rice? This quick quinoa rice recipe is a great substitute for the traditional dish. Make this your next quick, weeknight option for your family.


Quinoa rice in a white bowl, with more in the background in a bowl


Stepping outside my regular Caribbean recipes post today to share this quick quinoa rice recipe.

We eat a lot of fried rice over here so sometimes it can get to be a bit monotonous. If you are like us, then this quinoa rice is a good replacement option.

It's quick, full of flavor, and is a healthy option.

This recipe was initially shared with me by Khia with Gotta have Khia. She was introduced to this superfood when her dad visited and she fell in love.

She was inspired to create this recipe after seeing Cooking for Keeps' recipe.

What is quinoa?


Quinoa is a gluten-free superfood that is low carb and has become very popular.

It is referred to as a whole grain that contains all nine essential amino acids.

It is most lauded for its high level of protein though. And has been a great substitution for rice.

How to make quinoa fried rice


As mentioned this is a quick recipe. Having all your ingredients in place in the key to not burning, or missing adding things.
 
All the ingredients needed to make this rice recipe with quinoa

The ingredients you need are:
  • Vegetable oil
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Onion
  • Celery
  • Carrots
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Cooked quinoa
  • Frozen peas
  • Baby corn
  • Scallions
All the basic ingredients you should have in your pantry.

Mix up your soy sauce and sesame oil and set it aside.

Heat your wok with oil and when hot add ginger, garlic, and scallion


Adding ginger, scallion and garlic to hot wok


Add onions, celery, and diced carrots


 
Adding onions, celery and carrots


Add the rest of the oil and the soy sauce/sesame oil mixture
 
Adding remaining oil and soy sauce to pot





Then go ahead and fold in the quinoa

 

Add your peas and baby corn
 
Adding in peas and corn to quinoa rice

Once everything is warmed through, add the rest of the scallions and voila!!

 
Finshed cooked quinoa rice in a  pot ready to be served

Should I rinse quinoa?


The main reason I think a lot of people don't like quinoa is because of the "soapy" taste. There is a bitter outer later of saponins on quinoa that gives that taste.

To get rid of that layer, the suggestion is to rinse the quinoa so that that layer dissolves.

Some packages say that this pseudo-grain comes pre-washed while others tell you to just go ahead and cookout of the package.

To avoid any taste, the best suggestion is to rinse the quinoa for 2 minutes so that the saponins will dissolve and you eliminate the "soapy" taste

Storage and reheating


This dish can stay in the fridge for up to four days. I doubt it will have to stay that long though.

You have to be careful about reheating quinoa. With too much heat, quinoa dries out and gets rubbery.

Reheat in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl and if it has a cover use the cover. If not then you can use a paper towel to cover it.

When reheating, stop it momentarily to fluff the quinoa up and to also check to see if it has been heated through. We don't want it to be reheated for more time than it's necessary.

 
Quinoa laid out in a white plate on a brown burlap napkin



What to pair this with


Just like fried rice, this would be great by itself of pair it with some meat options.











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Full bowl of quinoa rice  finished with chop sticks and extra soy sauce

Comments

  1. Yes...this is just the tasty recipe I look for when making grains...and quinoa is the grain of choice rightnow. We loved this.

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