There are certain foods I try to prep ahead of time and keep in our fridge for those busy weekday nights when I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner. One of the most important ones for me is quinoa. But what is quinoa, how do you make it and, most importantly, how do you say it?!
Quinoa (pronounced keen-waa) is a high protein ancient grain that mixes well with all kinds of foods in both hot and cold dishes. I’ve been making Banana Quinoa Rice Pudding and Lemony Quinoa Salad for years, and my husband virtually lived off of steamed quinoa with shrimp, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, basil and lemon as a dinner staple long before we had kids. A container of cooked quinoa stays fresh for up to 5 or 6 days in the refrigerator and makes a perfect base for tons of dishes.
Unlike rice which can take over 45 minutes to cook, a big pot of quinoa takes 15 minutes or less, making it the perfect inexpensive, easy side dish — mixed with milk, honey, cinnamon and maybe some fresh berries, nuts or raisins, it’s also an amazing breakfast cereal. This quick video will show you exactly how to cook quinoa so it’s light and fluffy with a slightly nutty taste.
How to Cook Perfect Quinoa Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken stock or water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
- Note: You can tell quinoa is finished cooking when it’s little “tail” looks like it is peeling away from the quinoa.
Anyone know where she purchased that mesh strainer? I’m looking for mesh strainer with small enough holes so the quinoa doesn’t fall out and also with a handle.
Thanks!
[…] there was awhile where I didn’t love quinoa, mostly because I wasn’t cooking it right. it’s still not my first choice, but cooking it right does help. if you are also unsure, check out this video […]
looks to me like your written directions are different from the video Either you put everything in the pot and bring to a boil OR you boil the water then add the quinoa after the boil and simmer till liquid is gone….HELP which is it
It’s even better when you cook it with vegetable broth instead of water!
Thanks Catherine,
I love quinoa and my 2 year old charge loves to have it with trader joes’s already cooked lentils. She calls it rice n beans ( her favorite food). Her parents likes it too so I make it ounce a week. Everyweek I mix it with something new including foods they won’t eat if served separate like spinach. ( i cook the spinach and cut it into small pieces and add things they like to eat. last week I added scrambled tofu red peppers, cilantro n tomatoes instead of lentils. They loved it!
I love this!!! I was just lamenting yesterday about how I can’t get it fluffy enough- thank you for the refined tips- my family will be so pleased that they aren’t chowing down on clumpy quinoa anymore!
I had the same question about turning off the heat. If you look at the directions listed with the recipe, it looks like the heat gets turned to simmer. When I’ve made quinoa before I’ve always simmered it. I think that might be why the extra liquid?
In the video it looks like you boiled the liquid, added the quinoa, covered the pot and turned off the heat. I did the same and after 15 minutes my quinoa was still swimming in liquid. Should I just turn it to a simmer next time?
Video isn’t working for me either.
Do you typically rinse your quinoa before cooking it?
Message on video reads, “This video is private.”…can not get video to play!
Quinoa video isn’t working