Cilantro Lime Quinoa in an Instant Pot

I have heard a lot about the electric pressure cooker, did not pay it much mind as I was perfectly happy with my regular pressure cooker. On the other hand, I have this crusty old electric rice cooker with a non stick insert which is starting to peel off. I have been looking for an electric rice cooker with a stainless steel insert instead of a non stick one but have not been very successful in finding one. The ones I found on Amazon (where else) were either too expensive or a brand I have never heard of.

As I continued searching I chanced upon the Instant Pot brand electric pressure cooker with a stainless steel insert. Not just a rice cooker but as luck would have it a full fledged pressure cooker. I found lots of glowing reviews and a pretty ardent following for it and there was no dearth of information. Slightly more than what I wanted to spend for rice cooker but at under $80 for a 6 quart a pretty good buy for me.

Was I glad or what? Nothing against my crusty old pressure cooker but with none of the leaking and the mess associated with not controlling the heat or pouring a little extra water. I am not saying the Instant Pot won't leak but it is very rare.

Cooking lentils, rice, beans is done in no time at all and of course with none of the mess which is a big deal for me. Since the time can be controlled much better I can easily control how much I need the beans cooked and that is a big deal for me. While the Instant Pot itself can be used for sauteing and cooking in it I still prefer my stove top for sauteing purposes. Guys this is not a paid promotion but me gushing about my favorite toy in the kitchen.

I would like to eat more of Quinoa but cooking it has always been a hit or miss if I am not careful with the amount of water and the timing. Can't eat mushy quinoa. When I am in a rush and doing too many things this is not something i want to spend time on. This is where the Instant Pot becomes a life saver. Just a minute of cooking time and perfect quinoa is ready.

Add the quinoa, water, cilantro leaves, squeeze in the lime juice, add salt and let cook in the Instant Pot in manual mode for a minute.
Once cooked fluff up the rice.

I wanted to go a bit fancy and add some cilantro, lime and make it a cilantro lime quinoa for a quinoa bowl with cauliflower.

All of us enjoy eating burrito bowl. Cilantro lime rice is what we usually have but occasionally to mix it up and to avoid the rice trap. Anything tastes good in these bowls. Quinoa when cooked correctly gives the bowl an extra dimension.

How to cook quinoa in an Instant Pot from this blog article.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 cups of Quinoa (I used red)
2. 2 cups of water
3. 1/2 of a lime
4. 1/2 cup of loosely packed chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
5. 1/2 - 1 tbsp of butter (use olive oil for a vegan version)
6. 2 tsp of salt

Method

1. Wash the quinoa in several changes of water till the water runs clear.
2. Add 2 cups of water (quinoa water ratio 1:1)
3. Squeeze in the lime juice.
4. Add in the butter, coriander leaves and salt.
5. Put the weight on the top in sealed position and in manual mode set it cook for 1 minute. This should cook the quinoa under high pressure for a minute.
6. Once the cooking is complete let the pressure naturally and let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes before opening the lid.
7. Once opened fluff up the quinoa.

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Curry flavored Kale and Quinoa cakes

I don't buy Quinoa that much anymore. I much prefer the texture of millets which work well most of the Indian style curries. I still occasionally buy Quinoa hoping to make either Quinoa cakes - the recipe for which we will see today or these tasty Quinoa cutlets or the Quinoa puddingg which is my most favorite way of cooking quinoa. I must have mentioned somewhere I am sure that I am addicted to sugar ;)

I saw the recipe for the Kale and Quinoa Cakes in Wegmans' menu book using their prepackaged or prepared vegetables. Using that as a guide I made it a bit more spicier than the recipe. I steamed most of the vegetables whereas the recipe had called for just diced or raw finely chopped vegetables but raw. It is of course a very simple process to make these Quinoa cakes.

The only trick is to cook the Quinoa nice and fluffy without making it a soggy mess. Not to worry I have the exact way to cook quinoa. The original recipe had used what is called diced Mirepoix and also eggs. I skipped the eggs and added just carrots and beans. Peas, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and if you like it celery are all vegetables that could be added to the mix. While these quinoa cakes are perfect as a snack, they are filling enough for lunch or dinner.

Prepare the vegetables for steaming. I used my trusty old pressure cooker.
Cook the quinoa as per instructions. In a food processor or chop the steamed vegetables along with the onions and green chilies.
Proceed with chopping the rest of the vegetables.
Blanch the kale and squeeze the water out and chop it using the food processor. Add the spice powders,oil and salt to the cooked quinoa.
Add the mashed vegetables and shredded kale leaves and mix it into the quinoa.
Shape the quinoa cakes by taking a ball and patting in the palm of the hand to flatten a little bit.
Place the shaped quinoa cakes on a greased baking sheet and bake in a 350F oven for about 40 minutes till set and slightly brown on the outside.

Kale and Quinoa Cakes
Preparation Time:30 minutes
Baking Time:40 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 cup of Quinoa (any color you prefer, I used white)
2. 1 bunch Kale (makes about 1- 1 1/2 cups when blanched and shredded)
3. 1 Potato
4. 2 cups of chopped green beans and carrots combined
5. 5-6 green chilies
6. 1/2 onion
7. 1/2 tbsp curry powder or any masala powder
8. 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
9. 2 tbsp olive oil
10. salt to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook the quinoa nice and fluffy as per directions. Meanwhile steam the green beans and carrots and potato in a pressure cooker/steamer.
3. Once the veggies are cooked squeeze the water out, peel the potato and using a food processor or chopper chop the potatoes along with onions and green chilies. Set aside.
4. Blanch the kale in steaming water and squeeze out the water. Run through the food processor/chopper to chop into smaller pieces.
5. Add the spice powders ,salt and olive oil to the cooked quinoa along with the chopped vegetables and mix well.
6. Take a small handful of the quinoa mixture, first making a round ball and then patting with the palm of the hand to flatten it a bit.
7. Place the shaped patties on to a greased baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes till it is firm.
   

Serve with any sauce on the side.

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Red Quinoa Idli - Steamed Quinoa cakes

I heard the author of ‘All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood’ by Jennifer Senior talking on the radio and found myself nodding in the affirmative to some of the things she had to say. Don't miss reading the linked New York Magazine article (from the link above) on which the book was based.

I know for a fact that I was a lot more stressed about childcare and doing all the things I wanted to do when the kids were smaller. As they have grown older I don't stress as much. As I grow older and hopefully more mature some of the things that would have psyched me out if I failed to do, doesn't bother me as much.

I have also learned not to compare notes with parents who have kids the same age as me. Besides sending them to school the other things I do are purely based on if we can afford to ferry them around and if the kids themselves enjoy it.

Getting private time to do things I truly enjoy is still a dream but writing this blog has been one of the pleasures that I have managed to keep. Believe it or not this blog has helped me in no small measure to keep my sanity. Writing is cathartic.

In all honesty I am not sure if I know for myself if not having kids would have made me happy. In a country like India were children are considered the most important I am not sure if not having children by choice would make anyone happy. People you know and don't know will question that choice and I am sure make one more miserable than ever. Does this study only hold good in Western Countries?

How about you all? Do kids give you joy?

Now on to the recipe that for one makes me happy writing about,

Quinoa idli batter in moulds ready to be steamed.

Give any grain to a South Indian - it would be made into dosai or idli soon enough. When I posted Red Quinoa on the Grain of the Week there was a comment on how to make quinoa idlies. The recipe had just quinoa and urad dal and some poha. I did give that method a go. It fermented alright but once steamed the idli was soggy and not very good. I am thinking it had a bit too much water than was ideal. Unlike rice idli batter, quinoa batter has to be sufficiently thick for it to work. I tried to make dosai with it that did not work either.

I was not ready to give up. I went back to the tried and tested method of making idli with other grains. So I split the quantity of rice and quinoa and it worked out alright. These idlies are tasty and a few are enough to fill you up unlike the rice idlies. It is a nice variation from the regular fare.

Red Quinoa Idli
Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
2. 1 1/2 cups of rice
3. 1 cup of urad dal
4. 1/2 cup of flattened rice

To Make the Batter

1. Soak the quinoa and rice overnight.
2. Soak the urad dal for 45 minutes before grinding.
3. Grind the urad dal first, followed by the quinoa and then the rice. Add only as much water to get the grinder to move.
4. Powder the flattened rice in a blender and along with the salt mix with the ground dal, quinoa and rice to a thick batter. Set to ferment overnight.

To Make the Idli

1. Grease the idli plates and pour the batter.
2. Steam for 12 minutes or till the idli is completed cooked.

Serve with any chutney.

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Quinoa Puliodharai - Quinoa in a spicy tamarind sauce

Tamarind rice has a special place in my heart. It is one of the first non dal recipes that I learned to cook. When we first moved into our neighborhood we had a pot luck party and I carried with me the one other dish I could make that tasted good that was not a sambhar. I was not under illusions. Tamarind rice I figured was something that only only a typical Indian taste bud can really appreciate or so I thought.

I was quite surprised that it was almost over and one of our neighbors wanted the leftovers. Besides being pleasantly surprised I realized that the taste of tamarind was not that exotic after all.


It was time for Quinoa and Tamarind to come together. Tamarind Quinoa with some fried potatoes on the side is a perfect meal. Precooked Quinoa and tamarind sauce come together in this simply but very tasty combination.

If you like puliodharai with rice better - Puli Sadam.

Quinoa Puliodharai
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:10 minutes(if quinoa and puliodharai are precooked)
Ingredients

1. 2 -3 cups of cooked quinoa
2. 1/4 cups of puliodharai mix
3. 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil (optional)

Method

1. Mix in the puliodharai mix with the precooked quinoa. Add the sesame oil if needed and gently mix them together.

Serve with some roasted potatoes or chips.

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Cooking Quinoa - Fluffy and Right

Quinoa - I have mixed feeling about using this grain. With wide spread coverage of how demand for this grain in the West is hurting farmers made me scale back and think twice before buying Quinoa. Like everything else there is nothing straight forward about news in the Western press that guilt trips consumers. Price stability for their produce in South America is good for the farmers but exploiting the land to meet the demand is where the problem lies. Read this salon article for a more nuanced overview of the problem.

As for me Quinoa is not a staple in our house but we eat it occasionally - about once a week or once in two weeks. The first time I tasted Quinoa I did not like it. I made soup with it and the mushy overcooked texture made it pretty much unpalatable. I laid off Quinoa for a while after that. I couldn't completely ignore it though, after a couple of years hiatus I went back to it but this time around I spent a little bit more time and found a way to cook it so it tastes better.

Soak the Quinoa in water, wash till water runs clear. Heat water till boiling.
Add the boiling water to the quinoa, cover with lid and cook for 6 minutes in medium heat. Stir cover and cook again for another 6 minutes. Keep covered for another 5 minutes.

Tea filters which have several uses besides filtering tea.

Quinoa can easily be substituted for rice and eaten with curries, made into flavored rice like recipes and of course cutlets and the like. So here is an almost fool proof way of making fluffy and rightly cooked Quinoa. I have found Quinoa cooks fastest when it is soaked and tastes good when it is rinsed a few times.

Cooking Quinoa - Fluffy and Right
Soaking Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups of Red/Black/White Quinoa - Quinoa : Water :: 1 : 1.5
2. 2 1/4 cups of water

Method

1. Soak the Quinoa in plenty of water and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Wash with several changes of water till the water runs clear. ( Very Important, see Note:) Draining quinoa is a hard task. I use my tea strainer to drain the water. Any sieve with holes tiny enough to hold the quinoa should work.
2. Bring the water to boil in a sauce pan. Transfer about 1/2 cup of water to another container.
3. Now add the Quinoa into the boiling water and turn the heat to medium. Cover with a lid and cook for 6 minutes. Open the lid give a good stir and add the saved 1/2 cup or less of water if the Quinoa is still hard. Cover and Cook for another 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Note:Make sure to remember that rinsing quinoa is an important step. The seeds are coated with saponins, naturally-occurring plant chemicals that can cause a bit of a bitter taste. Their purpose is to keep insects from eating the plant! Courtesy:Whole Foods Market

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