Quinoa - how to boil?

CM_73

I've had a few goes at this now, and all I seem to create is a sloppy mess.
First time, admittedly, I just slung some in the saucepan and guessed the right amount of water. The second two times I carefully weighed and measured everything, timed it to the second... and still got a sloppy mess.
Where am I going wrong?

dothefreddy

I just measure out 1/4 cup of dry to 1 cup of water. Let the water boil, put in quinoa and then turn down to a simmer till all water is absorbed. Basically the same if I was making rice.

llap200

I find it easier to use a rice cooker, one cup quinoa to two cups water then just turn the rice cooker on. Mine is a cheap one I bought 5 years ago at Walgreens, cost about $15.

CM_73

Thanks for those, couple of ideas to try.
I will give it another go!

livingleanlivingclean

1 part Quinoa, 2 parts water in a pan. Bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer, cover and leave for about 15mins or until water has evaporated

Mischievous_Rascal

Rinse quinoa in a bowl using 5 changes of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water (if quinoa does not settle, drain in a large sieve after each rinsing).

Cook quinoa in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes. Drain in a large sieve and rinse under cold running water.

Set sieve with quinoa over a saucepan containing 1 1/2 inches boiling water (sieve should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 12 minutes.

From Epicurious

RodaRose

Maybe you need a bigger pot?

Need2Exerc1se

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

1 part Quinoa, 2 parts water in a pan. Bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer, cover and leave for about 15mins or until water has evaporated

This is also what I do, which is according to the package directions. Sometimes it does take longer than others for the water to absorb, I have no idea why, but I just leave it on simmer until it's fluffy.

eseeton

Add rinsed quinoa to a pot with double the amount of water/salt (I use chicken broth - gives it good flavor). Leave it on HIGH uncovered until a rolling boil, then do a quick stir, cover, and reduce the heat to LOW and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is evaporated (I have a pot with a clear glass lid so I can see when it is done). Just turn the heat off and let it sit still covered for about 5 minutes before serving.

CM_73

A majority vote for the 1:2 grain/water ratio then!

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

This is also what I do, which is according to the package directions. Sometimes it does take longer than others for the water to absorb, I have no idea why, but I just leave it on simmer until it's fluffy.

I wonder if it's just as simple as that then? The water is very hard where I live, maybe it just needs a bit longer to absorb.

*feels stupid*

That's the trouble with cooking something I'd never even heard of before, no idea what was supposed to happen to it!
Thanks all, much appreciated, I'm sure I'll nail it next time now

Upstate_Dunadan

I saute a chopped onion and jalapeno with a couple tsp olive oil, then add the 2 cups washed quinoa (I prefer red) and toast it a few minutes. After that I add toss in some chili powder, cumin, and coriander and let it bloom. Then a can of Ro-tel tomatoes (drained), can of black beans (drained and rinsed), about 2 cups chicken broth. Cover that and simmer it for 16-18 minutes. Pull it off the heat, uncover and toss a kitchen towel over the pan, and replace cover. Let sit for 10 minutes then squeeze some lime juice on top, stir and eat.

Use it as a side or in place of rice/pasta.

jgnatca

Mischievous_Rascal wrote: »

Rinse quinoa in a bowl using 5 changes of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle ...From Epicurious

These instructions make sense if people are starting with virgin quinoa that hasn't been rinsed of it's soapy layer. But these days quinoa is practically mainstream and what you get in the store is pre-rinsed.

jgnatca

sm4astan wrote: »

I saute a chopped onion and jalapeno with a couple tsp olive oil, then add the 2 cups washed quinoa (I prefer red) and toast it a few minutes. After that I add toss in some chili powder, cumin, and coriander and let it bloom. Then a can of Ro-tel tomatoes (drained), can of black beans (drained and rinsed), about 2 cups chicken broth. Cover that and simmer it for 16-18 minutes. Pull it off the heat, uncover and toss a kitchen towel over the pan, and replace cover. Let sit for 10 minutes then squeeze some lime juice on top, stir and eat.

Use it as a side or in place of rice/pasta.

That sounds absolutely amazing.

kmsoucy457

If you want fluffy quinoa, in my experience it's better to use a 1:1.75 ratio.

Also an aside, after you rinse the quinoa, toast it in a dry pan for a few minutes, just until it starts to turn color - adds another dimension of flavor

CM_73

sm4astan wrote: »

I saute a chopped onion and jalapeno with a couple tsp olive oil, then add the 2 cups washed quinoa (I prefer red) and toast it a few minutes. After that I add toss in some chili powder, cumin, and coriander and let it bloom. Then a can of Ro-tel tomatoes (drained), can of black beans (drained and rinsed), about 2 cups chicken broth. Cover that and simmer it for 16-18 minutes. Pull it off the heat, uncover and toss a kitchen towel over the pan, and replace cover. Let sit for 10 minutes then squeeze some lime juice on top, stir and eat.

Use it as a side or in place of rice/pasta.

That does sound good! It's a bit more advanced than my "bung it in a pan" idea but I will try a meat-free variation of that at some point

CM_73

kmsoucy457 wrote: »

If you want fluffy quinoa, in my experience it's better to use a 1:1.75 ratio.

Also an aside, after you rinse the quinoa, toast it in a dry pan for a few minutes, just until it starts to turn color - adds another dimension of flavor

Fluffy works for me! Anything will be an improvement over sloppy tbh.
Thanks for the tip, I will give that a go to start with.

Upstate_Dunadan

Oh, and after you cook it, if you see your pan is full of little "worms" don't panic. When I first started cooking at eating quinoa I was half way through a bowl, looked down and saw all these tiny dead hookworms. I freaked out a bit thinking I had a bad batch. Some quick Googling set me straight. Not works, just part of the seed

kmsoucy457

sm4astan wrote: »

Oh, and after you cook it, if you see your pan is full of little "worms" don't panic. When I first started cooking at eating quinoa I was half way through a bowl, looked down and saw all these tiny dead hookworms. I freaked out a bit thinking I had a bad batch. Some quick Googling set me straight. Not works, just part of the seed

Hahahaha my BF thought the same thing when I first cooked it for him. It messed with his head so much that it took another couple of months until he was ready to try again. Also this was before I got the water ratio right, so it came out a soupy mess, and took that long until I was ready to try it again.

mistikal13

I also do the absorption method. 1c quinoa, 2c broth, maybe some butter. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer for 15 min. Turns out perfect every time!

kmsoucy457

mistikal13 wrote: »

I also do the absorption method. 1c quinoa, 2c broth, maybe some butter. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer for 15 min. Turns out perfect every time!

lid off? I always put the lid on; maybe that's why I need less liquid?

mistikal13

kmsoucy457 wrote: »

mistikal13 wrote: »

I also do the absorption method. 1c quinoa, 2c broth, maybe some butter. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer for 15 min. Turns out perfect every time!

lid off? I always put the lid on; maybe that's why I need less liquid?

When I make quinoa I leave the lid off and the flame super low. I hate mushy quinoa

kmsoucy457

mistikal13 wrote: »

kmsoucy457 wrote: »

mistikal13 wrote: »

I also do the absorption method. 1c quinoa, 2c broth, maybe some butter. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer for 15 min. Turns out perfect every time!

lid off? I always put the lid on; maybe that's why I need less liquid?

When I make quinoa I leave the lid off and the flame super low. I hate mushy quinoa

Well that might do it. Will try tonight (was having quinoa anyway) and post my scientific findings.

CM_73

I've always cooked it with the lid on, I cook everything with the lid on to save a bit of energy.

Glad you mentioned the "worms" though, I would have assumed that's where the high quinoa protein comes from...

mistikal13

CM_73 wrote: »

I've always cooked it with the lid on, I cook everything with the lid on to save a bit of energy.

Glad you mentioned the "worms" though, I would have assumed that's where the high quinoa protein comes from...

Quinoa is the only thing I cook with the lid off. I just like the way it turns out better. Brown rice and other grains I leave the lid on. Weird I know.

CM_73

No, makes perfect sense. With rice you're trying to conserve the water and (obviously where I'm going wrong) with quinoa, you drive off the excess.
Can't wait to get home and give it another shot now!

dizzgirl

Definitely rice cooker. I have never mastered cooking rice or quinoa on the stove...purchased a rice cooker, follow package directions, and am now a pro :-). Bonus is that like a slow cooker you don't have to stir it continually so it won't burn.

jgnatca

I'm dying to try this: Tsorta Tfaya

cwolfman13

I add the quinoa and water together and bring to a bowl...pretty much right when it starts to boil I turn the heat down to medium low and let it simmer really slow. It takes awhile. In my experience, people try to cook quinoa and things like brown rice too quickly so it doesn't turn out right. Slow and low to let the water actually absorb rather than just burn off.

CM_73

Thanks all,well, it worked!
1:2, simmered (no lid) until the water was mostly gone, then a dash of chilli sauce and pepper, turned the heat up to firm it up then left it to dry out for a couple of minutes with the heat off.
And, it was pretty good!

mistikal13

CM_73 wrote: »

Thanks all,well, it worked!
1:2, simmered (no lid) until the water was mostly gone, then a dash of chilli sauce and pepper, turned the heat up to firm it up then left it to dry out for a couple of minutes with the heat off.
And, it was pretty good!

Yay! So glad this worked for you.

kpodaru

CM_73 wrote: »

I've had a few goes at this now, and all I seem to create is a sloppy mess.
First time, admittedly, I just slung some in the saucepan and guessed the right amount of water. The second two times I carefully weighed and measured everything, timed it to the second... and still got a sloppy mess.
Where am I going wrong?

i do a 2:1 ratio. 2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa