Fluffy Quinoa VS Mushy Quinoa


Warm Quinoa Salad for dinner!
My fellow blogger Tabitha brought up a great subject on how to prevent Quinoa from getting mushy, so I thought I would post some do's and dont's that I found on Tribe.



If you want to have fluffy quinoa and not mushy quinoa here's how.

Before anything: Rinse your Quinoa and REALLY MAKE SURE IT'S DRAINED.

Issue #1: Liquid Ratio

Most recipes say 2 cups water/broth to one cup quinoa. This is a good ratio, but if you want really, really fluffy quinoa then cut back the liquid to say 1 and 2/3 cups. A little less water. Add at least 1 teaspoon of salt to the water.

Issue #2: Restraint

Don't add the quinoa till the water is at a rolling boil.

Issue #3: To cover or not to cover?

It is best to not fully cover the simmering pan, leave a small but noticeable gap to let out the steam. Otherwise your precious quinoa seeds will absorb too much of the water.

Issue #4: Heat

Don't go too easy on those little gems. A low-medium or almost medium flame is best. You should have a slow simmer going that is audible. At this heat 10-15 minutes will be your cooking time, definitely not 20 minutes.

Issue #5: Happy Ending

When the audible simmer begins to die down the final and most important step comes into play: Uncover the pan, turn the heat up to medium and stir your almost fluffy quinoa constantly as the last remnants of water evaporate.

You should now be in the zone of Quinoa Fluffyness

Issue #6: Salad Option

If you are not gonna eat the quinoa hot then immediately put the pan in the fridge, uncovered. You want to cool down the quinoa so it doesn't cook more, definitely don't leave it covered.


Comments

funkisockmunki said…
You rock. This may just save quinoa for us. :-) I was honestly going to toss the rest of the stuff after our first attempt was like goo. Thanks Lara!
You're welcome! Hope it goes better this time!
Joanne said…
1 teaspoon of salt = quite salty quinoa for me! I used a level teaspoon, perhaps event a little less so I'd use half a teaspoon next time.

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