Why Restaurant Quinoa Is So Much Better
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Published 2022-05-19
00:00 Intro
00:47 Washing Quinoa
02:13 Quinoa : Water Ratio
03:23 Cooking Quinoa
04:14 Resting and Fluffing Quinoa
05:42 Storing Quinoa
06:46 Crispy Quinoa
1.5 cups of quinoa
1.75 cups water for instant pot or a rice cooker (2 cups of water for a regular pot)
2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher (or 1 tsp table salt)
Put quinoa into a pot you plan to use to cook it and cover with lots of cold water (this is not the measured water). Agitate with your hand and drain well through a fine mesh sieve. Repeat until the water is no longer soapy looking. Return quinoa to the pot and add the right amount of water for your kind of pot. Add the salt.
Instant pot or rice cooker: Seal the pot. Press the Rice button. Turn off “Keep Warm”. Let the cycle run and wait for the pressure to drop naturally. I set my timer for 1 hour after pressing the Rice button to make sure my quinoa is thoroughly rested.
Regular pot: Set over high heat and bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 min. Take off heat. Don’t uncover. Let rest for 20 min.
Fluffing quinoa:
Rake the quinoa with a fork gently starting with the top layer and gradually working your way down. If you encounter any sticking. Cover quinoa with a paper towel and let it cool an extra 15-30 minutes. Then continue to gently rake with a fork until all the grains separate.
Storing quinoa:
Cool quinoa completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze. Use in salads cold or rewarm in a pan on moderate heat with some butter or olive oil.
Crispy quinoa:
Cook, cool, and fluff quinoa as described above. Put just enough quinoa into a cast iron or non-stick skillet to create a very thin layer (a 12 inch skillet holds 150g of cooked quinoa comfortably). Add 1 tsp olive oil and rub into quinoa with your hands to help separate the grains. Set over moderate heat and cook until quinoa starts to steam. Once you see steam, you have to stir very often (roughly every minute). For the first 10 minutes, you shouldn’t see any color. Somewhere between 10 and 20 minute mark your quinoa should start to brown. Cook until it feels completely dry, crispy, and brown. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.
Before serving, toss with the seasoning of your choice. It’s good to include something acidic (lemon juice, lime juice, pomegranate molasses, or some vinegar), something aromatic (za’atar, smoked paprika, etc), olive oil, and salt.
Here is the za’atar that I use: amzn.to/37uO1Hv
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All Comments (21)
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My ex’s mom, who is Quechua from Ecuador, taught me how to make great quinoa and this is basically the same recipe. The only difference is that she made it the same way as rice-cover with water, bring to boil on high, stir non-stop on high for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover and let cook like that for 15 minutes (10 for rice). Quinoa comes out soft and fluffy, so grateful to her for teaching me!
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Quinoa grows wild here in Peru, and we usually soak it before cooking it. This makes cooking time a lot faster in high altitude and some people say it makes digesting it easier. We soak it, changing the water when it gets cloudy until the little seeds start to pop and release cute little curly things. Also, a really common rural breakfast here is a runny drink made with quinoa, often with chunks of wild apples. You cook it like oatmeal, except with a lot of water so it's drinkable. That and some bread will hold farmers over until lunchtime.
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Hello, I am from Bolivia, and I eat QUINOA since I was born, it is a very nutritional food and gives a lot of energy, as everyone knows it is a food originating in the ANDES in South America, that is where I live, in the ANDES. I consume Quinoa about once a week, and in the way that I like the most, it is to cook the QUINOA as if it were rice, and then make a sauce with onion, tomato, salt and yellow pepper, all prepared with oil in a pan and toast. this sauce for about 20 minutes, and to give it that delicious touch we put a little grated cheese on it. Hmmm delicious. Here sometimes we accompany this delicious dish with a little hot pepper, but that depends on each person. Greetings from BOLIVIA, the land of QUINOA.
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I didn’t think quinoa was worth the extra price until I toasted it & salted it. I rinse it, let it drain for a while, shake out excess water & toast it in a dry frying pan. I use your ratio in a deep frying pan with a lid, it takes about 10 minutes, during which I use butter, not oil, to sauté some onions. (Oil doesn’t work nearly as well as butter.) I add my dry toasted quinoa to that, then the water, make sure it’s boiling, then cover & simmer for 14 minutes. No water to drain off. It is SO good, worth the extra steps & cost compared with rice. I make it all the time. Thanks for this video!
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I used this process today for the quinoa to make a salad with cucumber, feta, lemon and herbs. It turned out great! All previous attempts had gummy clumps, this time the seeds still retained a bit of pop!
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More than just recipes, I love the attention to what happens in the processes of cooking and why. This is learning how to cook instead of just copying a recipe. Thank you!
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Helen, finding your videos has been a blessing. You have answers to the questions I have thought about for a long time, I love how in-depth your research is.
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I am a relatively seasoned home cook, and I have always struggled with gummy quinoa. Thank you Helen for this video!
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I just want to express my sincere gratitude for you and this video in particular. I love quinoa and have struggled for years to make it "perfect", to the point where I gave up and started buying it frozen...until your video. I just followed your instructions for making it in regular pot and...mind blown!! Perfect quinoa!! I am beyond happy! My faith in cooking has been restored! I appreciate you immensely!
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Thank you Helen, I have learned so much from all of your videos and I have been cooking for 40 yrs
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In your inimitable style, Helen, as always, BEST QUINOA INSTRUCTIONS EVER! 😊
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I make 1 cup quinoa with 1.5 cups of water, a thumb size of finely chopped ginger and a teaspoon of hot chili flakes. Boil then slowly then cook over a gentle flame till most water is gone, turn off flame and let stand for an hour, comes out prefect. You just have to put in the time for the quality end product.
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You are an excellent teacher with a calm, warm delivery style. I really enjoy your videos. this one is fab. THANKS!
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Wow I’ll have to try crispy quinoa now! I like to dry toast my quinoa in a pan for like 10 minutes before boiling it, apparently folks do this in South America. I find it gives it a much richer and nuttier flavour
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I'm sorry, I'm still stuck trying to process the PewDiePie thing
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I love how calm you are... It's so relaxing to listen to you. ❤️
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You are such a pleasure to listen to. I think this method is what makes so many variations possible because the grain is gently cooked not over moistened or moved too much. Instant pot with adequate rest yields whole grains that can hold seasonings. I can not wait to try the variations you mentioned as well as some others.
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Thank you so much!! My quinoa sucks! I stopped making it because it was so bad. Your techniques give me hope to try it again. Having made a number of your fabulous recipes (apricot galette!!!!), your reputation for first time success is so appreciated. Saludos desde Montevideo, Uruguay..
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I took your advice on the stove, top quinoa, and it turned PERFECTLY. Thank you so much.
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I stayed watching this video just to keep hearing her accent 🫠 Great tips. I’m definitely gonna make it following her directions. I’m never happy with box/bag instructions. Thank you for all your wonderful tips Helen 💖🙏🏼
