Cooking with Quinoa 101

Introduction

The grain of the month in this series on whole grains is quinoa.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is not actually a true grain but rather a seed that belongs to the same family as amaranth and spinach.

It is considered a pseudo grain because it is used in ways similar to grains.

Anatomy of Quinoa

The quinoa plant has edible leaves and thick, abundant clusters of tiny flowers that produce its edible seeds.

The quinoa seed is round and flat with three main parts: the exterior seed coat (pericarp), the starchy interior (perisperm) and curved, tailed embryo.

The tailed embryo is particularly easy to see on cooked black quinoa as shown in image below.

History of Quinoa

Quinoa is believed to have originated in the Andes region of the South American Continent over 5000 years ago.

Prior to the Spanish conquest of the area, it was celebrated as the “Mother Grain” due to its great importance in Inca society.

Because of its religious importance in the local cultures, the Spaniards went through great lengths to eradicate quinoa and replace it with grains such as wheat and corn.

Nevertheless quinoa survived both in the wild and in remote, elevated areas where it continued to be cultivated.

In recent years, quinoa has become famous around the world as a gluten-free superfood and its cultivation has spread to Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

The United Nations even declared 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa.

Types of Quinoa

Quinoa can be found in many colors ranging from creamy white to yellow, green, brown, pink, red, orange, grey and black.

There is even a rainbow quinoa that is sold for ornamental purposes.

The most commonly available quinoa varieties in the United States are: white quinoa, red quinoa and black quinoa.

You will often see tricolor quinoa sold which is simply a combination of white, red and black quinoa.

White quinoa is usually the most affordable and the quickest cooking of the three.

It is mild in flavor and expands substantially when boiled: 1 cup of dry white quinoa can yield up to 5 cups of fluffy cooked quinoa.

Red quinoa is a little more pronounced in flavor and has more bite when fully cooked.

It fluffs up a bit less than white quinoa: 1 cup of red quinoa yields a little over 4 cups when cooked.

Red quinoa is believed to have been the favorite of Inca warriors known for their strength.

Black quinoa is grittier and doesn’t expand as much as white or red quinoa when cooked: 1 cup of black quinoa yields about 3 cups when cooked.

Because of its texture, black quinoa shines best as an addition to salads or in a tricolor blend.

You can make your own tricolor quinoa blend by using 3 parts white quinoa, 1 part red quinoa and 1 part black quinoa.

Nutrition in Quinoa

Many consider quinoa to be a superfood because of its many nutritional advantages.

It is one of the few plant foods that is a complete protein because it contains all the essential amino acids in sufficient proportion.

For example, quinoa is higher in the amino acid lysine than true cereal grains such as wheat or corn.

It also is high in the amino acid histadine which, according to the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, is particularly important for growing babies.

Quinoa is rich is B vitamins and is also a source of vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and selenium.

Quinoa and Gluten

Quinoa is gluten-free but it does contain prolamins (types of protein) which could potentially be an issue for individuals with celiac disease.

Saponins in Quinoa

The exterior coating of quinoa contains bitter saponins which are the plant’s natural protection against birds and insects.

Saponins are antinutrients which interfere with the proper digestion of proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Traditionally, quinoa is soaked in large amounts of clean water and rubbed to remove this soap like substance.

The rinsing is repeated multiple times until the water is no longer foamy.

Commercially available quinoa typically has already been prewashed in an alkaline solution then dried to remove the saponins.

However, it is often advised to wash your quinoa before preparing it to remove any residual saponins.

Phytic Acid in Quinoa

Commercially processed quinoa contains about the same about of phytic acid as rye.

Phytic acid is present not just in the outer layer of quinoa but throughout its starchy inner layer.

Presoaking the quinoa in an acidic medium overnight or sprouting it will reduce its phytic acid content significantly.

Roasting/toasting is another method known to reduce phytic acid content in plant seeds.

Forms of Quinoa

Quinoa is typically found as a whole seed or as a flour.

A less common form is quinoa flakes.

Typically, all forms of quinoa are considered a whole (pseudo) grain because no part of the quinoa seed is removed aside from the saponin antinutrients.

Culinary Uses of Quinoa

Quinoa is used in ways similar to other whole grains and it can be used interchangeably in recipes calling for rice, bulgur, whole wheat couscous or millet.

Below is an overview of quinoa’s preparation methods and culinary uses.

Rinsing Quinoa

Because of the saponins mentioned previously, it is best to rinse quinoa before consuming it.

To rinse commercially purchased quinoa (which has already been processed to remove most of the saponins) :

1. Place quinoa in a large bowl of cold water and agitate with a wooden spoon.
2. Let quinoa settle to bottom of the bowl and drain off cloudy water over a sieve to catch any quinoa falling off.
3. Repeat process a few times until water is no longer cloudy.

To rinse home grown quinoa, as described in this post:

1. Place quinoa in a large bowl of water and rub the seeds for several minutes until water foams up and become cloudy from the saponins.
2. Let quinoa settle to bottom of the bowl and drain off foamy, cloudy water over a sieve to catch any quinoa falling off.
3. Repeat process a few times until water is no longer foamy and cloudy.

Sprouted Quinoa

Sprouting quinoa is known to decrease is saponin content and increase its nutritional value.

However, in my experience, commercially purchased quinoa doesn’t have a very high germination rate, leading to fermentation of the quinoa seeds that don’t sprout.

While the viable quinoa seeds will sprout fairly quickly, it is best to rinse them multiple times a day to offset the fermentation of the non viable seeds.

To sprout quinoa:

1. Place a quarter cup of quinoa in a wide mouth mason jar with a mesh strainer.
2. Add water to mason jar, shake and drain water off.
3. Rinse the quinoa several times until water is no longer cloudy.
4. Fill mason jar three quarters of the way with water and soak quinoa for an hour.
5. Drain off water from jar and place mason jar at a 45 degree angle.
6. Rinse at least three times a day for next couple of days until quinoa tail is at least twice as long as the length of the seed.

Sprouted Quinoa has a crunchy, mild herbal flavor.

You can eat the quinoa sprouts raw but blanching them is a safer option.

Quinoa can be blanched by placing in boiling water for a minute, straining water off and immediately placing in ice water.

You can also simply boil sprouted quinoa fully, in the same way as you would boil quinoa that has been soaked overnight.

Toasted/Popped Quinoa

Quinoa develops a pleasant crunch and nutty flavor when dry toasted.

Toasting also makes quinoa more digestible.

In contrast to popped amaranth, while quinoa may make a popping sound when toasted, it will not expand substantially.

Toasted quinoa has a slightly tanner, darker color as can be seen best on white quinoa in above picture.

Quinoa of any color can be toasted.

To toast quinoa:

1. Set a shallow pan to medium heat.
2. Add previously rinsed quinoa to preheated pan so that the quinoa is just one layer deep.
3. Stir with wooden spoon or shake pan often until quinoa dries out fully and starts to pop (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a bowl to prevent quinoa from burning.

Toasted quinoa is a crunchy addition to breakfast cereals, in salads or even as an ingredient in no bake cookies.

You can also toast quinoa prior to boiling it: this will result in a nuttier flavored and more compact cooked quinoa.

Presoaking Quinoa Overnight

Presoaking quinoa overnight in water with an acid added is one way to reduce the phytic acid content in quinoa.

You will want to first rinse the quinoa so that saponins do not get absorbed.

To presoak quinoa:

1. Place 1 cup of quinoa in a bowl.
2. Add enough water to fully cover the grains.
3. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar (i.e. apple cider).
4. Let stand overnight (about 8 hours) at room temperature.
5. Drain off liquid with a sieve.

Boiled Quinoa

Boiled quinoa cooks quicker than rice which makes it a favorite for weeknight meals.

Instructions call for using water which is the most versatile, especially if you are batch cooking.

For added flavor, consider using vegetable broth instead.

If you are just consuming quinoa occasionally, then boiling it after a quick rinse is fine.

But if you use quinoa more frequently, you will be best off preprocessing quinoa by either sprouting, toasting or presoaking it overnight.

Preprocessed quinoa takes about half the time to boil as raw quinoa.

Main instructions below are given for raw, rinsed quinoa while instructions in parentheses are for preprocessed quinoa.

Note: if for any reason the boiled quinoa is softer than you would like, you can spread it out thinly on a baking sheet to allow some of the moisture to evaporate.

Boiled quinoa keeps for about 5 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for several months without any noticeable change in texture.

Stovetop Boiled Quinoa

1. Bring 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt to a boil in a covered pot. (Reduce liquid by half for preprocessed quinoa)
2. Add 1 cup of quinoa and lower heat to a simmer.
3. Simmer white quinoa for 10 minutes, red quinoa for 15 minutes and black quinoa for 20 minutes. ( Simmer preprocessed white quinoa for 5 minutes, preprocessed red quinoa for 7 minutes and preprocessed black quinoa for 10 minutes )
4. Turn heat off and leave quinoa in covered pot for another 10 minutes for liquid to fully absorb.
5. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Instant Pot Quinoa

Quinoa cooks so quickly that an Instant Pot doesn’t really reduce its cooking time.

The Instant Pot is a great hands free option however.

I have found that there is no need for different cooking times for raw white, red or black quinoa when using the instant pot.

As for preprocessed quinoa, cooking it at low pressure reduces the chances of getting mushy results.

To Cook Raw Quinoa of any Color in the Instant Pot:

1. Place 1 cup of rinsed quinoa of any color in instant pot with 1 ½ cups of water and a pinch of salt.
2. Set Instant Pot to 3 minutes at high pressure.
3. Allow to natural release for 10 minutes then release manually any remaining pressure if needed.
4. Fluff and serve.

To Cook Preprocessed (Toasted, Sprouted or Soaked) Quinoa of any Color:

1. Place 1 cup of preprocessed quinoa of any color in instant pot with 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt.
2. Set Instant Pot to 6 minutes at low pressure.
3. Allow to natural release for 10 minutes then release manually any remaining pressure if needed.
4. Fluff and serve.

Boiled Quinoa Yields

1 cup of white quinoa (raw, soaked or sprouted) yields around 5 fluffy cups.

1 cup of red quinoa (raw, soaked or sprouted) yields around 4 ¾ fluffy cups.

1 cup of black quinoa (raw, soaked or sprouted) yields around 4 fluffy cups.

1 cup of toasted then boiled quinoa of any color yields about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.

Uses of Boiled Quinoa

Boiled quinoa can be used as substitute for other small to medium grains in your favorite recipes such as couscous tabouli, rice pilafs or grain bowls.

Traditionally, cooked quinoa is often used as a thickener in soups and sauces.

Quinoa Rejuvelac

Sprouted quinoa is a good option to make gluten free rejuvelac.

A step by step recipe for making rejuvelac can be found here.

Chicha – Fermented Cooked Quinoa

Quinoa chicha is a traditional Peruvian fermented beverage.

The level of fermentation and alcohol will depend on the quantity of sweetener added and the number of days fermented.

There are many different recipes for chicha including the one found here.

Generally speaking, you will want to rinse your quinoa, then cook it fully in a large quantity of water ( 1 cup of quinoa to 1 gallon of water ).

You can include various dessert spices, fruit and a sweetener to the cooking water.

After you strain the hot mixture, place it in a loosely covered container at room temperature and allow to ferment for a minimum of two days and up to two weeks.

Quinoa Breakfast Porridge

To turn quinoa into a sweet or savory breakfast porridge, follow instructions for making boiled quinoa but up the liquid by one third to one half depending on how you prefer the consistency.

You can substitute all or part of the liquid with plant milk or vegetable broth (savory version).

Add spices of your choice such as cinnamon and vanilla for a sweet version, or thyme and oregano for a savory version.

Add half a cup or more of chopped fruit of choice for the sweet version or chopped cooked vegetables or even raw grated vegetables for a savory version.

Top with a sprinkle of chopped nuts (sweet version) or nutritional yeast (savory version).

Sweeten or salt to your liking.

Quinoa Flakes

Quinoa flakes are flattened quinoa similar in shape to rolled oats.

They are considered a whole grain.

It may be possible to make quinoa flakes using an oat flaker – several types are sold by Pleasant Hill Grain, an affiliate partner.

Alternatively, you can purchase quinoa flakes online.

Quinoa flakes are marketed as an oatmeal substitute but they are currently quite pricey compared to oatmeal.

An easier option for home use is to toast your quinoa, as detailed here.

Quinoa Flour

Quinoa flour is a popular choice for gluten free flour in baking, for making gluten-free pasta or as a binding agent.

Sue Becker, in The Essential Home Ground Flour Book, states that freshly milled quinoa flour can be used alone in quick breads thanks to its fluffy texture.

Quinoa flour is not very common in supermarkets but can be easily be found online.

You can mill your own quinoa at home with a grain mill or a high speed blender.(For more details on milling, please see this post.)

When using any mill make sure to set it to smallest opening to ensure the small quinoa seed is fully ground.

Toasted Quinoa Flour

Toasted quinoa flour is an option preferred by some people to remove any residual bitter flavor from saponins.

It is in fact a traditional way of transforming quinoa before baking into bread.

You can either:

1. Toast quinoa first and then mill it into flour OR
2. You can mill raw dry (or previously rinsed and air dried) quinoa into flour and then toast it.

The most hands free way to toast quinoa flour, as inspired by this blog post is:

1. Preheat oven to 220° Fahrenheit.
2. Spread quinoa flour on a baking sheet, no more than half a quarter inch thick.
3. Place baking sheet in oven and let bake for 2 ½ hours until it emanates a toasty fragrance.

For optimal freshness, you will want to freeze any unused toasted quinoa flour.

Books About Quinoa

As mentioned earlier, the United Nations declared 2013 as the year of Quinoa and they published a free quinoa cookbook which can be found here.

There are many popular cookbooks available either focused only quinoa or containing many quinoa recipes.

Most are not plant-based and you will want to make some substitutions if you want to transform them to a plant based version.

Below are plant based cookbooks containing some quinoa recipes:

• The Great Vegan Grains Book by Celine Steen and Tomasin Noyes
• Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward
• Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats by Rachel Ama
• Appetite for Reduction by by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Matthew Ruscigno

Below are quinoa specific cookbooks which are not specifically plant-based:

• The Quinoa Cookbook by John Chatham
• 500 Best Quinoa Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury
• Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming
• Cooking with Quinoa: the Supergrain by Rena Patten
• The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook: Eat Great, Lose Weight, Feel Healthy by Wendy Polisi
• Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood by Sonoma Press

Where to Buy Quinoa for Planting

Quinoa typically grows at high altitudes but there are varieties that grow in a wide range of climates.

You can use store bought quinoa that sprouts for planting your own quinoa.

But to ensure the best germination rate, you are best off buying quinoa seeds specifically for that purpose and adapted to your climate such as the following beautiful plants sold by True Leaf Market, an affiliate partner: Brightest Brilliant Rainbow Quinoa.

In The New Book of Whole Grains it is suggested to first grow the seeds in small pots and then transplant them.

According to this post, it is quite easy to thresh quinoa which makes it a good option for home gardeners.

Where to Buy Quinoa in Bulk

Quinoa can easily be found in your local supermarket, warehouse store and online.

It can be a bit pricey and buying in bulk is typically a more economical option.

If you are interested in purchasing bulk quantities, this post on buying whole grains online includes a FREE download with 15 online sources of bulk quinoa at competitive prices.

Storing Quinoa

Commercially processed quinoa with saponin coating removed typically can be stored for at least a year.

Shelf life can be extended further if stored in optimal conditions as outlined in this post.

Conclusion

Quinoa is a pleasant tasting pseudograin that continues to grow in popularity.

I hope this overview of quinoa is useful to you and inspires you to give it a try.

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