Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Breakfast in Macchu Picchu - Quinoa Khichadi

Termed the Mother Grain – Quinoa was a sacred food to the ancient Incans. Cultivated for over 6000 years this seed is gluten free and low on the Glycemic Index making it an excellent food for breakfast. I have fond memories of eating Sabudana Khichdi for breakfast and substituting Quinoa for the tapioca balls makes this conventional recipe healthier.

Quinoa has a light and fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to rice or couscous. To cook Quinoa the first step in preparing it is to remove the saponins/outer skin, a process that requires soaking the grain in water for a few hours, if possible. A common cooking method is to treat quinoa much like rice, bringing two cups of water to a boil with one cup of grain, covering at a low simmer and cooking for 14–18 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed. The cooked germ looks like a tiny curl and should have a slight bite to it, like al dente pasta.


QUINOA (KEENWAH) KHICHADI
Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
½ cup peanuts, crushed (optional)
1 boiled and peeled potato, cubed
1-2 green chilies, chopped
1 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp heeng powder
1 tbsp sugar
5-6 curry leaves
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
juice of 1 lime
2tsp oil + 1 tsp ghee (optional)
salt to taste

MethodCook Quinoa in 2 cups of salted water until water has been absorbed and the texture is fluffy. Heat oil ghee combination and add the cumin seeds, heeng, green chilies, curry leaves and the cubed potato. Add the cumin powder and cook for couple of minutes. Mix in the Quinoa, coriander leaves, crushed peanuts, limejuice and sugar. Adjust for seasoning, serve warm.


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Recipe submitted to WBB - Grains in my Breakfast an event created by Nandita of Saffron Trail and hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and for JFI-Grains an event created by Indira of Mahanandi and hosted by Suganya of Tasty Palettes.

7 comments:

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

I love sabudhana khichadi. Since we don't get quinoa here, I'll have to wait trying this out till it arrives at our shores!:)
Thanks for participating in WBB.

Supriya said...

I've never cooked quinoa, this'll be the first dish I try with it.

A Virtual Vegetarian said...

@ Aparna, hope you get some soon..its really quite yummy!

@ Supriya..if you like Sabudana - then this dish is for you, its texture is nice.

Thank you both for posting your comments.

katkat'skitchen said...

The texture and taste of this is magnificent

A Virtual Vegetarian said...

Hi Katkat, Thank you for trying the recipe and posting your comments!

Beatrice said...

This dish sounds really good - what do you serve it with (for some reason, I'm thinking eggs, although I could also see tofu or beans...)?

A Virtual Vegetarian said...

Hi Beatrice...I normally eat it alone, as a complete breakfast item however it is commonly served with a condiment like - Chutney (green coriander or coconut) or a relish of your choice! Finally top up with a cup of hot Indian cardamom Chai!

Your suggestion of a tofu scramble or baked beans sound good too.....