Quinoa pulao

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has been on my list of things to try for a long time. As a vegetarian, one is always on a lookout for good sources of protein. Quinoa contains the best protein profile among all cereals and is also a rich source of iron and magnesium. Since it is also gluten free, it can be eaten by people with gluten sensitivity.

Being an Indian and a south Indian at that, we do tend to a eat lot of rice. Over the years, I've moved towards using the more nutritious varieties of rice such as brown or red parboiled rice instead of the regular white rice. These work well for the more traditional curries, but for things like biryani or vegetable pulao, I still stick to plain old basmati rice. 

I was curious to see if I could do a variation of pulao by substituting quinoa for rice. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the end result. It actually tasted quite nice - slightly nutty with a small bite to it - and carried the flavors of the various spices very well. 

I used all the left over vegetables I had  in the fridge - parsnip, celery and European raddish - along with frozen peas. You can use any combination of vegetables you like. 

190g or 1 cup Quinoa 

5 cloves

1 dried bay leaf

1 small stick of cinnamon

1 star anise

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 garlic pods, chopped

2 cups of chopped vegetables (I've used parsnip, celery, raddish and peas here)

5-6 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

3 tsp vegetable oil

Juice of half a lemon or lime

Salt to taste

Handful of coriander leaves, chopped

To cook the quinoa

• Soak the quinoa in water for 10 minutes. Drain and then rinse thoroughly a couple more times.
• Cook the quinoa according to the pack instructions. Normally, you will need double the amount of water (in this case 2 cups). Bring it to a boil in a pan, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the germ separates from the cover. This is easy to identify as you will see a thin hook like filament separate from the grain. The contents will also have doubled in volume. Turn off the heat at this stage. Cover and keep aside till all the moisture is fully absorbed. 

To make the pulao 

• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the whole spices (cloves, star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon) and fry in the hot oil for a few seconds. Then add the fennel and cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
• Add the turmeric, chillies, chopped onions and garlic and saute till the onion softens and turns translucent. If you are using celery or leeks, add it at this stage.
• Add the vegetables - the hard vegetables first as they take longer to cook, followed by the softer ones - and saute over high heat for a few minutes.
• Add the chiili, cumin and coriander powder along with salt to the vegetables and mix well. Lower the heat, sprinkle a little water and cover and cook till the vegetables have softened.
• When the vegetables have cooked, add the cooked and cooled quinoa and mix everything together. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
• Sprinkle the garam masala and lemon juice and mix well.  Keep stirring and cook uncovered for a few minutes to allow the flavors to combine. 
• Finish off with some chopped coriander.

Serves 3-4