3 Creative Ways to Eat Quinoa

Consumption of super grain quinoa has soared in recent years due to its many nutritional benefits, among which is its high protein content – all nine essential amino acids necessary for muscle and bone development and repair.

While quinoa is well known with the fitness community, many Malaysians are still in the dark when it comes to this nutrition-dense grain, especially when most recipes incorporating quinoa are usually for very Westernised dishes.

With this in mind, superfood brand Spoon Health joined hands with Davina Goh, emcee and host to create different recipes using their quinoa products with the average Malaysian in mind.

Davina’s recipes include a healthy take on dishes such as Lontong, as well as a quinoa spin on fried rice and guilt-free double chocolate cookies.

Here are three healthy quinoa recipes that can be easily prepared by using Spoon Health’s quinoa.

SAVOURY QUINOA PANCAKES

SERVES 3-4
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOKING TIME: 20 mins
TIME NEEDED: 30 mins, or longer, depending on how many pancakes you can cook at a time

INGREDIENTS:

DRY:

• 1/2 cup Spoon Health quinoa powder
• 1/2 cup plain flour (or rice flour if gluten-free)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

WET:

• 2 tsp chia soaked in 4 tbsp water for 10 mins
• 1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk, unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup shredded Zucchini
• 1/2 small bell pepper, diced finely
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Cooking oil

METHOD:

1. Mix dry ingredients together evenly, excluding baking powder.

2. Mix soaked chia seed with milk and vinegar and pour slowly into dry mixture, while stirring, until it becomes a smooth batter.

3. The batter should be thick and lumpy, but also have a slow pouring consistency. If it doesn’t seem to pour out slowly from a spoon, stir in more milk by the tablespoon until desired consistency is attained.

4. Stir in baking powder, zucchini, pepper, garlic and baking powder.

5. Heat up some cooking oil on low to medium heat into a flat cooking pan. A fried egg ring mould or egg pan works well to help pancakes keep their shape.

6. Pour batter in, roughly two tablespoons per pancake. Cook for about 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown.

7. Serve hot with your sauce of choice. For a local flair, Sambal or Chilli Sauce is worth a try!

LEAN LONTONG

Serves 4-6
PREP TIME: 15 mins (excluding cashew soaking)
COOK TIME: 45 mins
TOTAL TIME NEEDED: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Long Beans, cut into long strips
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 cup cabbage, cut finely
• 1 small carrot, cut into long strips
• 1 small eggplant, cut into long strips
• 1 cup tempeh, diced
• 1/8 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup beancurd sheets
• 1/2 cup of glass noodles (Also known as ‘tung hoon’ or ‘soh hoon’)
• 1/3 cup cashews, with the rest of the cup filled with water and soaked for 4 hours
• 2 tsp lime juice / juice of 2 calamansi limes
• 1 cup of diced pumpkin
• 2 liters of water
• 1/2 cup Spoon Health Quinoa Powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp shredded ginger OR 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tsp pink salt
• 3 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 5-7 lime leaves
• Juice of 2 calamansi limes
• 1 bulb garlic, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced

METHOD:

1. Set water to boil in a pot.

2. While waiting, heat oil in frying pan on high heat. Fry long beans, eggplant and tempeh with a pinch of salt for 3-5 minutes. Leave aside.

3. Once the water hits boiling point, put in the pumpkin dices and allow to cook for 10 minutes (refer to next step). Remove the pumpkin and leave the water in the pot.

4. While the pumpkin is cooking, blend the cashews together with the water it has been soaking in, until it becomes a fine paste.

5. Add garlic, onion, lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, tomato, lime juice, salt and sugar to the pumpkin water and leave to boil.

6. Once the water boils, add quinoa powder and stir until powder has dissolved.

7. Add carrot and beancurd sheets, followed by cashew paste, and turmeric powder, and glass noodles. Allow soup to simmer on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Stir in the fried long beans, eggplant and tempeh.

QUINOA GORENG

SERVES 2-3
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOKING TIME: 15 mins
TOTAL TIME NEEDED: 30 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups of cooked Spoon Health quinoa, preferably refrigerated overnight)
• 1 cup of Shitake mushrooms
• 4 stalks of baby corn
• 1 small bell pepper
• 3/4 cup of long beans, chopped finely
• 2 small blocks of firm tofu
• 1 red onion
• 6-7 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (optional)
• Dash of white pepper
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

METHOD:

1. Finely dice into cubes the mushrooms, corn, pepper and tofu. Toss into a bowl together with the long beans and leave aside.

2. Chop onion and garlic finely.

3. Heat cooking oil in a wok, and fry onion and garlic together with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce on high heat for 1-2 minutes.

4. Throw in diced vegetables and tofu with salt and 1 tbsp of brown sugar and fry for 3-5 minutes.

5. Throw in quinoa, followed by remaining soy sauce and sugar, lime juice and cayenne pepper powder. Stir on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

6. Turn off heat, and stir in pepper, sesame oil and coriander.

7. Serve hot.

Read also: 5 Healthy Eating Tips at Lunar New Year