Quinoa Vegetable Pulao (Quinoa Vegetable Pilaf)

Quinoa is a super grain. It has taken the health industry by a storm and a lot of dieticians and health freaks swear by it. That is because of the high protein content in this wonder grain along with a lot of fiber and minerals. It is also gluten-free and hence is good for people who can’t ingest gluten. Though I don’t swear by one single food or grain, I do like to experiment with my food and love creating healthy recipes. I like to eat protein-rich meals and hence make some form of quinoa at least once or twice a week. In the search for variety, I have created this lovely Quinoa Vegetable Pulao recipe which is tasty and full of vegetables and nutrients. It is low on calories and is ready in about 15 minutes making it a perfect meal on busy weekdays.

I love making multiple recipes with quinoa and here are my top favorites: Quinoa Upma, Jackfruit and Quinoa Cutlets, Savory Quinoa Pancakes, and so on. This Quinoa Vegetable Pulao is versatile like our regular rice pulao and tastes good with almost all the veggies. I had carrots, beans, capsicum, and onion and I have used those for this pulao. You can also add peas, potatoes, peanuts, soya nuggets, or any other veggie of choice.

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 2
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Low

INGREDIENTS: 

1. Quinoa – 1 cup
2. Water – 2 cups
3. Onion – 1, small
4. Carrot – 1
5. Beans – 10-12
6. Capsicum – 1, small
7. Lemon juice  – 1-2 tablespoons
8. Fresh Coriander leaves – for garnish
9. Olive/any vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon
10. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
11. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

1. Sieve
2. Non-stick pan
3. Wooden spatula

RECIPE:

1. Wash the quinoa 2-3 times and soak it for 5-10 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is soaking, peel the onion and carrots and dice them into fine pieces.
3. Similarly, chop the beans and capsicum into small pieces.
4. Take a non – stick pan and keep it on high heat. Add some olive oil to it. You can also use any other oil of choice.
5. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Now add in the finely chopped onion and sweat them for 1-2 minutes on low heat.
6. Now add all the diced veggies – carrots, beans, and capsicum, and a little salt. Cover the pan with a lid and let the veggies cook for 3-4 minutes.

7. Mix one cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water and cover the lid again and let it simmer for 7-10 minutes.

8. Remove the lid and check if the quinoa is done. If it’s cooked and some water still remains, then cook on medium heat for a few minutes to evaporate the excess water.
9. Squeeze some lemon juice and top with some fresh coriander leaves.

Serve the Quinoa Vegetable Pulao with some raita.