Cooking Quinoa

02 May

Cooking Quinoa

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By Rachel Davies

My absolutely favourite food of the moment to make is the South American grain that no one can pronounce – quinoa. It’s packed with protein, has been heralded as a superfood, and is the perfect backdrop for lots of lovely flavours.


One of the many quinoa dishes in my (ever expanding) repertoire came about when a customer had enjoyed my peppers stuffed with rice and wondered whether quinoa would work too. Well it does, and I’d go as far as to call it an upgrade. So enjoy the recipe, and let me share that my favourite part of this dish is eating the leftover stuffing, so go ahead and make a little extra – it’s worth it!

Quinoa Spiced Stuffed Peppers – Serves 4

Ingredients

200g quinoa

4 large peppers

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

2 onions, finely diced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 courgette, grated

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

A handful of coriander, chopped

100g flaked almonds

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.

In a large saucepan, bring plenty of water to the boil for the peppers.

Bring the quinoa to the boil in a medium saucepan with plenty of cold water. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until it still has a bite to it. Drain in a sieve, rinse under cold water and drain off any excess water.

Cut the tops off peppers, and retain. Remove the seeds, and plunge the peppers, top and bottom,  into boiling water for 4 minutes. Leave to drain.

In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in medium pan, and sauté the cumin seed with the onion over a medium heat until soft but not coloured, around 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, followed by all the dry spices. Keep stirring for a few minutes, and then add the grated courgette, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

Fold the spice mixture through the quinoa until evenly mixed, and taste for seasoning. It will probably need a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Keep seasoning until it is really tasty.

On a tray lined with baking paper, toast the almond in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir the almonds into the quinoa along with the chopped coriander.

Stuff the peppers generously with quinoa mixture, top with their lids, and bake in a snug baking tray for 20 minutes.

You can make everything ahead of time, and then bake the peppers before serving.

Enjoy!

You might also like:

Tasty Sri Lankan Soup

Quick and easy Salmon and Mango Chutney

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

Or sign up for one of Rachel’s cookery classes for plenty more delicious dishes.

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