Quinoa Pilaf

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Quinoa Kichadi, Quinoa Upma, Indian Quinoa Pulav)

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Quinoa is an edible seed which is used in cooking like grains. It is said to be a source of 'complete protein'. Due to all its nutritional values, it is said to be the mother grain and is a very good option for vegetarians.

For cooking, quinoa can be used very much like rice or as its substitute. Hence all the commonly made recipes with rice can also be made with quinoa. Some of the dishes that can be made are lemon quinoa, tomato quinoa, coconut quinoa, quinoa pulav, quinoa upma etc. You can also make salads and soups with it. Here is a spicy quinoa recipe shared by my blogger friend Jen. 

Today I am going to share the recipe of an Indian style quinoa pilaf. You could also name it quinoa upma or quinoa kichadi.

Recipe For Quinoa Pilaf

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• Quinoa - 1 cup
• Sliced/Crushed Almonds - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1/4 (finely chopped)
• Tomato - 1 (chopped)
• Green Chillies - 2-3 (chopped)
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Coconut milk diluted with water - 2 cups
• Lemon Juice - 2 tblsp
• Cilantro - handful (finely chopped)
• Oil - 2 tblsp
• Salt - as needed

Method

1. Wash the quinoa thoroughly a couple of times and drain the water.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
3. When it starts crackling, add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
4. Add the chopped onions, green chillies and turmeric powder. Fry for few minutes.
5. Next add the chopped tomato and cook till it turns mushy.
6. Add the coconut milk-water mixture, garam masala and required salt. Bring this to a boil.
7. Add the quinoa and lemon juice. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
8. Reduce the flame to medium low, cover with a lid and let it cook for 15 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
9. Switch off the stove and add the crushed almonds and finely chopped cilantro.
10. Gently fluff up with a fork, cover it and let it rest for another 5 minutes.
11. Tasty and healthy quinoa pilaf is ready to be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Tips

• You can also add vegetables of your choice after adding the tomato to make it more healthy. Some of the vegetables that taste very good with quinoa are capsicum, carrots, green peas, potatoes and broccoli. In the above picture I've added capsicum.
• You could also use only water instead of coconut milk.

More Quinoa Recipes

Whole Grain Adai	Quinoa Soup
See more ⟩⟩

Comment by mahendra raju SV
           Quinoa is called as Chinna Solam or Vellai Solam in tamil
 
Reply :-
           Hi Mahendra, Vellai Solam is Jowar or Sorghum. Quinoa is different. Jowar is a grain whereas quinoa is a seed.

Comment by Surya Kodi
        Tamil name for quinoa is varagu. It is rich in protein.
 
Reply :-
         Oh is it?

Comment by Leah Joseph
         Wow I really enjoyed this dish so easy to make.
 
Reply :-
         Yes. Easy and tasty.

Comment by Padma Raman
        Quinoa is THINAI in Tamil. It is oldest grain and all Tamil people knOw it has existed for
30,000 years ago. It is served in Lord Murugan temples as quinoa flour with honey. (Thenum Thinai maavum).
 
Reply :-
        Hi Padma, Thinai is called 'Foxtail Millet'. Here are some details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtail_millet.
        Quinoa looks similar but is different. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa.

Comment by Namagiri Sridhar
          Hi chef
          Can I know why you are adding lemon juice along with quinoa instead of at the end?
 
Reply :-
         Hi Namagiri, You can add the lemon juice at the end too. I just add it along with the quinoa so that the dish gets a more intense lemony flavour. 

 
Comment by Chulani Yasaratne
          I am an IT teacher with a government school in Australia. A Team of 4 students is preparing a website on "Cultural food" to submit to a competition. 

Could they please have permission to use a few recipes from your site?

Thank you in advance for your prompt reply.
 
Reply :-
         Hi Chulani,
         You can use the recipes from the website. I'll be happy if you can provide the link to my website as a reference. All the best for your competition.

Comment by CHEF GIRIDHARAN GIRIDHARAN
HI 
I THINK QUINOA TAMIL NAME IS THEANNAI 
 
Reply :- 
      Hi Chef, I'm not sure.

Comment by Anju Nair
            Please tell me the Hindi name for Quinoa seeds.
 
Reply :-
           Hi Anju, I dont think there is a tamil or hindi name for Quinoa since it is not very common in India. You can buy it online or through some distributors.

Comment by Smiesline Selvam

        I like all your recipes. I tried red velvet cake. really delicious. thanks a lot for all your recipes. May God bless u always. i want to try this recipe. what is quinoa? where can i get that in Malaysia? please do reply. thanks a lot.
 
Reply :-
       Hi Smieline, Nice to know that you liked the red velvet cake. Thank you for your blessings.
       About Quinoa, it is an edible seed gaining popularity these days in many countries. It is used as an healthy alternative for rice as it is loaded with nutrition. You can find more details about Quinoa here  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa.

Comment by bupe sharon nalungwe
          Hi!this is bupe from zambia.
thanks for such delicious looking recipies.i like indian food and snacks.hope i can learn a few.will try out this quinoa recipe.thanks!
 
Reply :-           
          Hi Bupe. Glad to hear from you. Do try the quinoa pilaf and the other recipes. Give your comments and dont hesitate to ask any doubts you might have.

Comment by Karthika devaraj
        Hi
I am very health & diet conscious. The recepies made of Quinoa is looks excellent and mouth watering & tangy.
I like to prepare the dish...
May I know where we get Quinoa in chennai and Coimbatore?
 
Reply :-
           Hi Karthika, I'm not able to help you with the exact places where quinoa may be available in india. Please do check in all the major grocery stores. There are also a few distributors of quinoa in india. Just google up, you may find some.

Comment by Gautam FromIndia
        Hello,
First thanks for the recipe. May I know where can we buy/get quinoa in India. Can you name few store names?
Thank You.
 
Reply :-
           Hi Gautam, Nowadays Quinoa is available in India but may not be very common. You might want to keep looking in major groceries.

Comment by suma ys
           Hi...I tried quinao pilaf today and it came out very very tasty.I added lots of veggies too.Thanks for a healthy and tasty recipe.
 
Reply :-
          Good Good.... I also like to add whatever veggies I have on hand.

Comment by Padmaja Sudhakar
           Great recipe. You can also make soups from Quinoa and also use it to make Dosa.
I am wondering if Quinoa is the same as our Indian KAMBU?
 
Reply :-
          Hi Padmaja, Thanks. Quinoa is similar to Kambu but its not the same. I'll soon try quinoa soup and quinoa dosa too.

Comment by Parimala Akkayasamy
           Hi,
what is quinoa called in Tamil or hindi??
 
Reply :-
          Hi Parimala, I dont think there is a tamil or hindi name for Quinoa since it is not very commonly available in India. It is very similar to some of the millet varieties that we get in India like thinai and kambu.