Quinoa Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1cup quinoa
• 250gms mushrooms of your choice, sliced (I use either portobello or cremini)
• 150gms brussel sprouts (or cabbage), thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 3 tbspns olive oil
• Handful of spring onions, chopped
• Light soy sauce, as needed
• Sesame oil, as needed
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Cook quinoa.
   • Rinse quinoa for 3-5mins under cold water, rubbing grains together. This removes the Saponin which gives the grain a bitter taste.
   • (Optional) Add wet quinoa to the pot and roast on low till grains are dry and toasted.
   • Add 1cup of cold water to the pot and bring to a boil. (I know most recipes call for twice the amount of water but somehow this makes quinoa quite mush for me every time so after a lot of trial & error I came to this ratio which works for me every single time. Feel free to cook it the way you want though)
   • Turn flame to low, cover pot and cook for 15mins or until water is absorbed.
   • Turn off flame but do not uncover the pot. Leave for 30mins or so until completely cooled.
   • Open pot and fluff quinoa with a fork.
2. In a pan, saute sliced mushrooms with de-seeded green chilli, half the garlic, salt and olive oil until just cooked. Set aside.
3. Add brussel sprouts to the pan with a bit of oil and saute for 2-3mins until cooked but still enough bite to it. Add soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil to taste.
4. Throw in the mushrooms, spring onions and quinoa and stir fry on high till there’s no liquid left. Add some soy sauce and sesame oil to your liking.
5. Distribute into 2 bowls and serve straight away!

Notes/Ideas:

1. I never used to enjoy quinoa in stir fries as the grains tend to get “lost” and the dish didn’t have enough bite or chewiness to it like it does with rice. But ensuring that quinoa is cooked right and adding it to dishes without a sauce helps. I sometimes throw in a handful of leftover barley just to get that extra chewiness.
2. To give this an Indian twist you could forgo the soy and sesame oil and add a couple teaspoons of curry powder (or mixed Moroccon spice) in step 4 and serve it like Quinoa Pulao with some lemon on the side.