Quinoa Upma

What is quinoa?

Quinoa- is a small seed, after boiling it becomes translucent and looks like a small sprouted grain. It has a lightly nutty/earthy flavor. Quinoa can be used as a staple ingredient like rice or couscous.

Why Quinoa?

There are a few good reasons to eat quinoa :

1. Rich in high -quality protein and gluten-free grain. It's a great addition to our diet.
2. It is versatile and this small grain has become very trendy and is considered as a superfood. You can use quinoa in savory dishes, salads as well as for creating awesome desserts.
3. It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, low in carbs and other beneficial anti-oxidants.

What is Upma?

 'Upma' is a traditional Indian savory breakfast that is made up of semolina
and mixed vegetables. If you are already familiar with this traditional recipe then the only new ingredient is quinoa that is the substitute of semolina.

Quinoa upma preparation is very similar to upma.

Let's have a look:

Ingredients

• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 tbsp toasted peanuts
• 1 cup finely chopped bell pepper( green, yellow, red)
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or butter
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• salt to taste
• 2 cups of water
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Directions

1. Take 1 cup quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse well in running water.
2. Into a saucepan add in 1 tsp of butter and add 1 tsp mustard seeds.
3. Once the mustard seeds begin crackling, then add in peanuts and, stir fry until roasted flavor.
4. Then, add in ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onion stir and saute on a low flame until brown and translucent.
5. Add in other vegetables and cover the lid for about 5 minutes and stir frequently in between.
6. Add in washed quinoa and mix well.
7. Add in 2 cups of water and stir well. Add salt to taste.
8. Cover the pan with its lid and simmer on a low flame till the quinoa seeds are cooked.  Stir in between. When all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa looks lie sprouted grains then remove the lid and switch off the flame.
9. Served hot with coriander chutney and garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy quinoa breakfast if you haven't tried quinoa before then I would highly recommend you to substitute rice with an amazing super-healthy grain. 

Did you try out this recipe?

Let me know how it went! I would be glad to hear your views. If you try out this recipe comment below and share a picture on Instagram with hashtag #anuappetizingrecipes

Cheers !!!

Anu 💗💗