RECIPE

Quinoa with Pomegranate
& Fresh Herbs

JANUARY 21, 2021
[ SKIP TO RECIPE ]
Quinoa is a staple ingredient in my pantry. As much as I love rice, I do watch my intake since most gluten-free/wheat-free alternatives are rice-based.

This ancient food from the mountains of Incas is great for replacing that chewy craving for wheat pasta. The bonus is, it’s very nutritious, satisfying but without the heaviness you get from consuming too much rice or wheat. It goes well with savoury sauces and stew, or even as a cold or warm salad. You can also use it for making bread, although I have not yet to use it to make bread.

From personal experiences, I think quinoa is highly underrated. I’ve seen friends cringed at the sound of the name and would not even touch it when I bring it to potlucks (a hack for making sure you have enough wheat-free food to fill you up at gatherings). But those who do eat it tends to feel indifferent about it as it acts as well as any other main carb vehicle like rice, which I think is the right idea in terms of how we should utilize this ingredients. I think that quinoa should be used more at restaurants for vegan and/or gluten-free options. It can substitute couscous EASILY! Like in tabbouleh, or quinoa stuffing!

I was inspired by a quinoa salad a friend brought to a potluck dinner. It was from a prep food section of a grocery store. I can’t remember what they called it but it was a mix of feta cheese, mint, pomegranate and zaatar spices mixed into the quinoa. The flavour was great, but it was definitely too mushy. I have an assumption that perhaps many who dislike quinoa is because of how it can be if it’s cooked with too much liquid. I discovered a trick that I always I always follow to make sure the quinoa does not get mushy and that it retains that soft but tender texture when cooked – toasting/cooking the quinoa in some oil before adding the liquid. This is the same procedure for making a risotto that it not too soft. It was every time when I make quinoa.

 

This recipe I created, which I’m sure is hardly unique as it’s so simple, is very flexible and simple. Aside from the pantry basic seasonings, you really only need 4 ingredients – quinoa, pomegranate, some fresh herbs, and fresh lemon. I switch up the fresh herbs based on what I have on hand – cilantro, mint, parsley…

Because pomegranates are seasonal, I tend to make this in the winter when the fruit is widely available. It works great as a side dish to any meat, seafood, or grilled veggie dishes! This dish holds up really well in the fridge so it makes a great leftover lunch or even a picnic dish.

Quinoa with Pomegranate & Fresh Herbs

Yield: 4 to 5 servings
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil or canola oil
  • 1 small onion (about ⅓ cup), diced
  • 1 tsp of ground cumin
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • 1 ⅓ cups of quinoa
  • 1 ⅓ cups of broth (I use whatever I have on hand, or water)
  • 1 ⅓ cups of water
  • Juice of half a lemon (about 2 tbsp)
  • ¼ cup of any fresh, leafy green herbs (mint, cilantro, parsley, basil), chopped
  • 1 pomegranate (red or pink), seeds only
  • Salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a medium pot, heat up oil over medium high heat.
  2. When the oil is hot, add in the diced onions and sauté until it starts turning opaque.
  3. Add ground cumin and salt, and stir for about 30 seconds or until the cumin smells fragrant.
  4. Pour in the quinoa and mix until all ingredients are combined thoroughly. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, stirring even 15 seconds or so to make sure nothing is burning.
  5. Add the broth and water and stir. Let it bring to a boil.
  6. When it boils, turndown the heat to medium and let it continue to cook until the liquid evaporates to about the same as where the top of the quinoa is. Cover the pot with a lid, and reduce to low heat. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.
  7. Remove the pot, keeping the lid on, from heat and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
  8. Transfer the cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl and fluffy it gently with a fork or a spatula. This will help with cooling down the quinoa. Let if rest for 15 minutes or until you do not see hot steam.
  9. Mix in the lemon juice, fresh shopper herbs and the pomegranate seed. Adjust taste with salt.
  10. Serve immediately while it’s still warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any remaining portion.
[ JUMP BACK TO THE TOP]