A ‘gluten-free grain’ is how quinoa can be defined and described best. This superfood has been gaining popularity the world over due to its nutrition quotient, needless to say, its a boon to those who are gluten-intolerant and avoid wheat and wheat-based products. Quinoa, though a recent entrant on the world’s health food bandwagon, is enjoyed in many ways. You can eat quinoa in a salad, as a pulao or even make chapatis or pancakes with quinoa flour. However, any super-food, quinoa included, is more healthy if it’s cooked in an appropriate way, and if all the other ingredients are nothing but responsible for maximizing its beneficial output.
One of the popular methods of cooking quinoa is on a stove, which takes a lot of time and some people do not prefer this method of cooking quinoa. It takes roughly 25-minutes or so to cook quinoa this way. A single cup of quinoa is mixed with about two full cups of water, and then brought to a boil before lowering the flame and simmering, this method is very much similar to the process of cooking white rice.
Also Read: Gluten-Free Diet: What To Eat & Avoid In A Gluten-Free Diet | Cooking Quinoa In A Cooker
But, if you think that you need a quicker recipe, then the stove option might not be the right recipe for you. In such a case, there is but one thing that can come to your rescue, and that is pressure cooking. As it can cut your cooking time by half, the use of pressure cooker for cooking quinoa an indeed be a time saver for you in the kitchen.
Let’s take a look at the step-by-step procedure of using a pressure cooker to cook Quinoa.
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Cooking Quinoa Using A Pressure Cooker
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This is an instant cooking process and would only take you a total of 10 minutes, although the time for preparation is based on the cook’s personal opinion, it can only range from 8-10 minutes.
Also Read: Cooking Quinoa In A Cooker| Tips And Recipes | Quinoa Vs Rice: Differences And How To Use
Here is how quinoa can be cooking in a pressure cooker:
- First, measure it up and put quinoa in a bowl.
- Thoroughly rinse it with water and then drain it. Rinse at least 4-5 times else the quinoa will smell odd.
- Add it to the cooker along with two cups of water. (one part quinoa and 2 parts water)
- Lock the cooker’s lid and pressure cook it for 8 minutes minimum.
- Remove the lid, empty the cooked quinoa into a plate, fluff it up and let it cool down before using it in any other recipe.
Now, let’s take a look at various recipes in which you can add quinoa include:
1. A Breakfast Bowl Full Of Nuts, Fruit And Quinoa
Nothing can keep your lifestyle on the healthy side if your breakfast isn’t full of nutrients. And this is exactly what this fruit, nut, and quinoa filled mixture promises to its consumers. Be it vitamins, proteins, or fibers, it lacks none of that and is a great contributor for one’s balanced diet.
2. Coconut Quinoa Bowl
A vegetarian meal packed with proteins, flavor, and veggies, this mixture of coconut and quinoa is sure to provide you with a healthy dose of nutrients, thus meeting up with your daily requirement.
3. Quinoa Pulao
A complete mix of healthy fats and protein, with a good amount of fiber, quinoa pulao is a meal that you can have at any hour of the day. It is up to you, whether you like to customize it by adding in corn and mushroom to the mix, no matter what you add, it’ll just add up to the meal’s complete nutritious value.
So here were some of the suggestions which would eventually be a quick and effective and easy way of turning your diet into a healthy one.