Cooking Quinoa: How to Properly Prepare Inca Grain

If you want to prepare quinoa, just boil it with water. The South American seeds are a great addition to the diet and are full of protein.

This is how you can cook the quinoa

In its processed form, quinoa is reminiscent of millet or couscous. Despite its appearance, the Inca grain is not a real grain, but can also be safely consumed by people with gluten intolerance. The preparation is very similar to that of rice.

1. First you should wash and rinse the quinoa thoroughly. It is best to use a fine-mesh sieve for this. This removes the remaining bitter substances, the saponins, which the plant produces to protect itself from predators.
2. The ratio of quinoa to cooking water is 1 to 2, so you always need double the amount of water. For 100 grams of seeds you need 200 milliliters of water.
3. Put the Inca grain and water together in a saucepan and lightly salt the water. If you want the quinoa to have more flavor, you can also add broth to the water.
4. When the water boils, let it simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then turn off the plate and let the quinoa swell for another 5 to 10 minutes with the lid closed. The seeds should absorb the water completely and become firm to the bite.
5. To keep the quinoa from clumping, you can toss it with a drizzle of olive oil.
6. If you forget to wash the seeds before cooking, that’s usually not a problem. Saponins are not harmful in small amounts. However, the quinoa might taste bitter.

You can use quinoa for this

The Inca grain can be served as an alternative to potatoes, pasta and rice. The superfood is versatile and can enrich your diet in different ways.

• You don’t necessarily have to cook the seeds. After washing, you can also simply soak it in water for several hours.
• In a cereal or sprinkled over a salad, quinoa can be delicious raw and uncooked. However, due to the saponins contained in the seed shell, you should only use peeled quinoa and wash it thoroughly beforehand to remove the remains of the bitter substances.
• You can use the cooked grains, similar to bulgur or couscous, but also as a base for your salad. For example, try it lukewarm with peppers, onions, some tomato paste, olive oil and parsley.
• If you want the Inca grain to taste a little nuttier, you can fry it in a pan before cooking.
• Even cakes and bread can be made from quinoa. There is even extra quinoa flour for that. However, baked goods made from pure quinoa cannot rise properly due to the lack of gluten. It is therefore advisable to replace only part of the flour with Inca grain.