Organic Quinoa

Quinoa is new to many cooks which brings up the question, “how do you cook quinoa”. The fear of course is that you may ruin the quinoa just by not knowing how to properly cook it. If you want the answers to all your questions regarding quinoa, you should read this article as this will solve your problems completely. This is the complete guide to how to cook quinoa, step by step.

Soak or Rinse:

The first and foremost thing to do while cooking quinoa is to rinse or soak it for some time. Many people soak it for 15 minutes and then they rinse it. If you want do have time the soaking process, then you should rinse quinoa for at least 4 minutes before cooking. If you skip rinsing, the aftertaste of your quinoa will be bitter. So, rinsing is important.

Measure Quinoa and Cooking Liquid:

Measuring water for cooking quinoa is much like cooking rice. The amount of water or liquid depends on how much quinoa you are cooking. As a general rule, you should use twice as much liquid as quinoa. It means if you are going to use one cup of quinoa, you should utilize two cups of water. If you want some quinoa left over (for puddings or cold salads), then you can use two cups of quinoa and four cups of liquid. If you are going to cook a savory dish, strive to use chicken or vegetable broth instead of water for added flavor. If you cook a quarter cup of quinoa in a half a cup of water, you’ll end up with three-quarters of a cup.

Boiling:

After putting water in your pot, you should put lid on it, and bring it to boil. Once it is boiling, stir it and reduce the heat to low level.

Cooking Process:

After that, your quinoa will need to cook for 15 to 18 minutes. You should keep an eye on it to save it from over-heating. You should know that when the liquid is absorbed, it is done.

Sit for 5 Minutes:

Like rice, you want to turn the heat off and allow the remaining moisture to absorb with the lid still covering the pot.

Moreover, you can add seasonings at any point while cooking quinoa. For example, if you are cooking a special dish like Sundried Tomato & Sausage Quinoa, you should cook it for 10 minutes and then you should add some garlic and cayenne pepper for another minute or so. After that you can add chicken broth and quinoa. After cooking for 10 minutes, you can add pre-cooked turkey sausage. Lastly add salt, parsley or cilantro and pepper. Enjoy!