Unlike rice and barley, quinoa is a newer grain in our American cooking experience. Since we still find ourselves looking up how to make a simple pot of rice, we're pretty sure that we're not alone in having to google how to make quinoa every single time we get to the stove to make some.
In an attempt to remedy this simple problem once and for all, here's a basic recipe for quinoa. Hopefully this time we can all finally commit the recipe to memory.
Basic Quinoa Recipe
One cup quinoa
Two cups water or stock
Olive Oil (if you like things to taste a little richer)
1/4 teaspoon of salt (only if you aren't using store-bought stock!)
First, rinse the quinoa. This is the most important thing you can do if you want to make quinoa that is at all edible. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub the quinoa with your hand while rinsing. Rinse for at least two minutes under the running water. If you don't rinse your quinoa thoroughly, it will end up tasting bitter.
Then, dry toast the quinoa in a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil and cook for one minute until the water has evaporated from the rinsed quinoa. Next, add the two cups liquid and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat, remove from the burner and allow to stand covered for five minutes. Fluff and serve!
Now that you know how to make quinoa, you can start cooking with it.
