Quinoa With Fresh Rajma/ Kidney Beans

          I love rajma/ kidney beans, both fresh and dry, and the fresh beans tastes simply too good. It can be used in curries, kurmas and pairs well with most vegetables. So when I wanted to try something with quinoa, I used these kidney beans which I had in the freezer, added some fresh masala and the result was a very filling and tasty dish. Serve it with some vegetable raitha for a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Quinoa - 1/2 cup
• Fresh Kidney Beans - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Chopped Coriander - 1/2 cup
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Cloves - 2

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Green Chillies - 2
• Cashews - 5

Method

          Grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '.

          Heat oil, add the cloves and cinnamon, when it starts sizzling, add the onions and saute for a minute. Then add the tomatoes and saute till it starts breaking down.

          Now add the ground paste and saute till you get a nice smell, about 2 to 3 minutes and then add the kidney beans.

          Add the quinoa and the chopped coriander, mix everything for a minute, add about 2 cups of water, salt, bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook till it's done and when almost all the water is gone. Then switch off and leave it undisturbed for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Note
I had peeled, washed and freezed the fresh kidney beans.
Initially I had done the same dish with couscous and had used mint instead of coriander, tasted good. 

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Quinoa Patties With Chickpeas Gravy

          Many of us are familiar with the famous Ragda Patties, this is a slight healthy twist to this delicious dish. Ragda is the chickpeas or peas gravy that is served with the potato patties. Here I have reduced the potatoes and replaced it with the healthy quinoa and sauteed cabbage, they tasted really awesome. The chickpeas gravy that I have used here is slightly different, in that I have added some tamarind and jaggery, to give it a sweet and sour taste. The Quinoa Patties, topped with the Chickpeas Gravy, with a sprinkle of sliced onions and green chutney, made up for a wholesome and healthy meal, try this next time you cook quinoa..

Need To Have
For The Patties

• Quinoa - 1/2 cup
• Potatoes - 2 medium, boiled and mashed, came to 1 cup
• Shredded Cabbage - 2 cups
• Grated Ginger - 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

For The Chickpeas Gravy/ Chole

• Chana/ Chickpeas - 1 cup
• Tamarind - 1 large grape size
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Jaggery - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cloves - 2

To Grind

• Onion - 1 small
• Tomato - 1 medium
• Cooked Chickpeas - 2 tablespoons
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Ginger - 1" piece

To Assemble

• Quinoa Patties
• Chickpeas Gravy
• Sliced Onions
• Green Chutney ( store bought or home made)

Method
Quinoa Patties

          Cook 1/2 cup quinoa as per the instructions on the bag or refer here, it should be cooked, but not mushy, cool it. Heat some oil, add the cabbage and salt, and saute it till it's cooked but still retains a little bit of the crunchiness.

          Now in a bowl, take the cooked quinoa, mashed potatoes, sauteed cabbage, grated ginger, turmeric, red chilly and coriander powders, asafoetida, garam masala and salt. Mix it well with your hand, and shape into small patties, I got 16 patties.

          Heat some oil, and shallow fry the patties till golden brown on both sides, remove and drain the excess oil.

Chole/ Chickpeas Gravy

          Pressure cook the chickpeas with salt, till soft, it takes about 8 to 10 minutes in the pressure cooker. Grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup hot water, squeeze and take the extract, strain and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the cloves and cumin seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the ground paste, turmeric, chilly aand coriander powders and salt, saute it on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, till the raw smell goes away, if it sticks to the pan, sprinkle some water and keep sauteing.

          Now add the tamarind extract, mix well, then add the cooked chickpeas and the jaggery, if needed another half cup of water and simmer for another 7 to 10 minutes, now your chickpeas gravy is ready.

To Assemble
          Place 2 or 3 patties, pour a little chickpeas gravy on the side and top, top it with the sliced onions and the green chutney. Do this just before serving.

Sending this To Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event and
                    To My Culinary Trial Room for the Hearty And Healthy event.

Note
The patties can be made ahead of time and can be warmed in the oven or on stove top, just before serving, even the chickpeas gravy can be made the previous day and refrigerated.
If the quinoa is overcooked, then the whole dish will become very mushy, then you'll need other dry ingredients like bread crumbs to bring it together.
Generally they also serve a sweet tamarind or date chutney along with the green chutney, but I don't find the need here, since I have added the tamarind and jaggery to the chickpeas gravy itself.
You can serve this as a snack or appetizer or also as a complete meal by itself.

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Chilli-Garlic Quinoa

          Last week I had cooked about a cup of quinoa, and it was just me and my daughter, we couldn't finish up the entire quantity between us, so I had some leftover cooked quinoa. I didn't want to have it in the same way, mixed with some curry or sambar, I wanted to make something different with it and I came up with this Chilli Garlic Quinoa. It's a very simple dish but tasted really good, and was given a 'A+' by my daughter. Cooking quinoa al dente, can be a little tricky, refer here, you don't want to have a mushy dish. Try this out if you like the chilli and garlic flavor..

Need To Have

• Cooked Quinoa - 3 cups
• Shredded Cabbage - 5 cups
• Raw Peanuts - 1/4 cup
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Thick Soy Sauce - 1 tablespoon
• White Pepper Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

To Grind

• Dried Red Chillies - 4
• Garlic Cloves - 8 small

Method

          Toast the peanuts, remove the skin, pound it coarsely and keep. Grind the dried red chillies and the garlic cloves.

         Heat some oil, add the shredded cabbage and some salt, saute it uncovered, till it's cooked but with a slight crunch.

          Heat some oil, add the ground chilli-garlic paste, saute it well till it gives a nice smell, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the coriander powder and mix it well.

          Now add the soy sauce and mix for a minute, then add the sauteed cabbage and mix well.

          Now add the cooked and cooled quinoa and mix it well. Finally mix in the coarsely pounded peanuts and white pepper powder and serve it warm.

Note
Add more or less white pepper powder depending upon the spiciness of the red chillies added in the paste.
5 cups of cabbage might look like too much, but it shrinks a lot when you saute it, and also it's the cabbage and the peanuts that give the taste to the dish, so do not reduce the quantity.

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How To Cook Quinoa

           Quinoa is a fairly new grain, only 3 or 4 years back I got introduced to this wonder grain (it's not a complete grain, they call it as a pseudocereal). It was not love at first 'taste', in fact it was many months later that I tasted it again and only after that I slowly started to use it in day to day cooking. I usually try to replace rice with it, it's very rich in fiber and protein and has a slightly nutty taste. Cooking quinoa correctly might be tough for first timers, so I thought I'll do a basic post about cooking it..

Need To Have

• Quinoa - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups

Method

          Take the quinoa in a deep non-stick pot, which you can use for cooking rice, add 2 cups of water.

          Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for about 7 minutes. By this time all the water would have gone, but the quinoa should not stick to the pot. Now switch off and leave it covered and undisturbed for at least 15 minutes, until it has cooled down well. Remove the lid, fluff it up lightly and it's ready to serve.

Note 
There are a couple of varieties of quinoa, I have used the white variety which is the most common one.
When I say medium heat for cooking, there should be enough heat for the water to be boiling slightly, but it should not boil over when it's cooked with the lid on.

Update
When you cook less quantity in a relatively large pot, add an extra half cup or more of water, I realized this when I tried cooking 1/2 cup of quinoa in the above same pot, since the water dries away faster. Also depending on the texture or the softness of the quinoa needed, the cooking time can increase by a couple of minutes, you'll work out what's best for you, when you cook it a couple of times.

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Minty Quinoa

           I have been neglecting my blog for more than a week now, my parents and sisters had come over, lots of cooking but couldn't find time to check on my blog. Well, today's recipe is yet another simple and healthy preparation with quinoa (I have a packet with me that I had brought with me from the US). But for those who can't find quinoa, you can do the same with couscous too, also the other day I found a packet of quinoa (of course imported one ) at Nilgiris in Chennai. Now coming back to the dish, it gets its flavor from the mint leaves and tastes great with any raitha or plain yogurt too..

Need To Have

• Quinoa - 1 cup
• Mint Leaves - 2 cups
• Potato - 1 medium cubed
• Capsicum - 1 small chopped
• Tomato - 1 chopped
• Green Chillies - 2 
• Chopped Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1" piece

Method
          Cook the quinoa as per the instructions on the packet and cool it. Grind the green chillies and ginger. Also grind the mint leaves coarsely without adding water. Heat some oil, add the cinnamon and cloves, once the cloves start spluttering, add the potatoes, saute for about 5 minutes, then add the chilli-ginger paste, saute for another 2 minutes. Now add the capsicum, keep mixing for another 3 minutes, add the coarsely ground mint leaves, salt, saute for another 5 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, mix, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off, allow it to cool down, then mix in the cooked quinoa.
Sending it to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event.

Note
You can mix in the quinoa when the minty potato mix is still hot, but you should take care not to make it mushy, try to fold it in gently, leave it for some time like in the case of briyanis, then serve it.
Also, though it might look sticky, as it cools down, it actually becomes dry.
Do not overcook the quinoa.
Can also add some cooked peas or chickpeas.

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Beetroot Quinoa

          Quinoa has become a part of our regular diet nowadays, I have started replacing rice with it in many of our dishes. Even if I am not preparing a special dish with it, we mix it (instead of rice) with dal or sambar. I made this simple but yummy combination of quinoa with beetroot, if you like beetroot rice or curry, then you should definitely give this a try..

Need To Have

• Cooked Quinoa - 2 cups
• Beetroot - 1 small grated
• Fresh peas - 1/2 cup
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10 
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup

To Grind

• Green Chillies - 3
• Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Coriander Seeds - 1 tablespoon

Method
          Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the packet and cool it. Grind the ingredients given under to grind. Heat oil, add the mustard seeds and urad dal, once the spluttering stops, add the asafoetida and curry leaves followed by the ground paste. Saute it for a 2 to 4 mins till the raw smell goes, add the grated beetroot,  peas and salt, mix, cover and cook. Once it is done, reduce the heat and mix in the quinoa. Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve warm.

Sending it to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event,
                to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the CC - Spring Seasonal Food event and
                to Divya's Culinary Journey for her Showcase - What's In Your Lunch Box? event.
                                

Note
Can cook the peas separately and add it at the end, to retain its green color.
Can garnish with some roasted cashews or peanut for an extra crunch.
Do not overcook the quinoa, otherwise the dish would turn mushy.

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Quinoa With Cucumber And An Award

          Quinoa, it's a grain or a pseudograin, high in fiber, protein, manganese, well, the list goes on, but I am not going to bore you, copying everything from wikipedia here. Couple of years back, never heard of it, but now I simply love it. It's so easy to cook and can be had as a salad, can be used instead of couscous in Mediterranean dishes and also tastes great in pulaos, in the place of rice. This dish is very simple, needs very few ingredients, no masalas to grind, it gets it flavor from the sauteed cucumber. I added some black beans and roasted peanuts for the extra crunch and munch..
Need To Have

• Quinoa - 1 cup
• Cucumber - 1 medium size
• Cooked Black Beans - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Peanuts - 1/8 cup
• Red Chilli Flakes - 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
• Green Part Of The Spring Onions - 1/4 cup
• Soy Sauce - 2 teaspoons
• Brown Sugar - 1 + 1/2 teaspoon

Method
          Cook the quinoa with 2 cups of water (just like you cook rice) and cool it. Slice the cucumber, don't peel the skin, if there are lots of seeds, remove it. Heat oil, add the cucumber pieces, saute it for a few mins, till they change color but are still crisp. Now, add in the chilli flakes, sugar, salt and soy sauce, mix it, add the black beans followed by the quinoa, black pepper, mix everything well. Finally add in the peanuts and the spring onions, serve it warm.

Sending this to Spicy Treats for the Show Me The Hits - Fiber Rich Foods event,
                   to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event,
                   to Vegetarian Food And Me for I'm The Star event,
                   to Sara's Corner for the Women's Day Celebration event,
                   to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event,
                   to Taste Of Pearl City for the Healthy Morsels - Pregnancy event,
                   to Srav's Cooking Concepts for Vegan Diets - Only Plant Based event and
                   to Shama's Easy2cook Recipes for Sara's Cooking With Love - Granddad Series event.

Note
Do not overcook the quinoa, don't mix it when it is still hot, it'll become mushy.
Also, the cucumbers should have the slight crunch.
Increase or decrease the chilli flakes and pepper according to your spice level.

           Coming to the award, I had sent my entries to Anzz Cafe for her first event Valentine's Special. She had posted the roundups, couple of days back, it was a huge hit, one would be surprised at the number of dishes and the creativeness of my fellow bloggers. Hats off to you Anzz, you have done an amazing job with the roundups, lovely presentation. I am proud to show off my participation award here.

       
And then, moving on to the exciting part, I was thrilled to know that I was one of the three winners of the giveaway. When I received the email, saying, you have a surprise waiting for you, I was clueless, I had totally forgotten about the giveaway. Well, Iam so happy to get this cookbook, first one of India's first MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria, and looking forward to browse through it, thank you so much Anzz, am smiling cheek to cheek.
The other happy winners of this book are Manju of Manju's Eating Delights and Rashida of Inherited Spices.

Please do check out the roundups, it's in three parts, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

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Quinoa Salad

          After all the heavy festival and party food we'd been having, thought of doing something healthy with quinoa. Quinoa is a grain-like crop whose seeds are edible, it can be cooked like rice and can replace rice in many dishes, can read more about it on the web. We usually have it with sambar or any curry or even with plain curd. Today I just made a simple salad with it, making it a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Quinoa - 1/2 cup
• Sprouted Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - 1 small
• Onion - 1 small chopped
• Capsicum or Green Pepper - 1/2 cup chopped
• Sweetened Cranberries - 1 tablespoon 
• Roasted Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
• Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon chopped
• Lemon - 1/2
• Pepper & Salt - to taste

Method

          Take the quinoa with 1 cup of water, when it is boiling, reduce heat and cook till done, cool it. Chop the onion and tomatoes. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil, add the onion, saute till transparent. You can add the sprouted moong dal as such or cook it for a few mins with little salt either in the microwave or on stove-top and add. To the cooked and cooled quinoa, add the sprouts, onion, tomato, capsicum, mix well, add salt and pepper, squeeze the lemon, give one final mix. Garnish with the peanuts, cranberries and coriander leaves, healthy and tasty salad is ready to serve.

Note
Can add chopped cucumber, lettuce ,celery, raisins and apricots.
If you don't find quinoa, can do the same salad with cracked wheat.
If you like garlic, can one chopped while sauteing the onion.

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