If you're a big quinoa lover like me then you've probably gone through a trial and error to learn how to cook it perfectly. I certainly remember when it would come out too crunchy or too mushy, and I still have friends asking me the proper way to make it. Looks like the joke is on me because apparently I've been doing it wrong the whole time!
So what is the proper way to make quinoa? Keep reading after the jump to find out.
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Normally when you make quinoa, you measure out the amount you want, boil water, toss in it and cook it for about 25 minutes. I've always measured two cups of water for every cup of quinoa I make, but after learning some of this new information, it's changed my method completely.
As if making this amazing super food wasn't complicated enough, cooks at America's Test Kitchen showed senior editor Dan Souza of Cook's Illustrated magazine a different and tastier approach. In fact he made quinoa into a pilaf!
Below, Souza revolutionizes the quinoa cooking process for us completely.
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To give it the pilaf effect, Souza dry roasted it in a pan before adding water to the seeds. Normally when making pilaf, the rice is sauteed in hot oil, but Souza says that adding oil made the quinoa taste bitter.
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In place of adding two cups of water to a single cup of quinoa, he did one of each.
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Instead of boiling water and cooking the quinoa thoroughly, Souza used the "absorption method" which means he only used enough water for the quinoa to absorb it. He claims this prevented it from overcooking and gave it a better bite.
I can't wait to try out this cooking method instead. It's so simple and it might actually give a fresh batch of quinoa a whole new taste! If you plan on trying out this new process, a good recipe to use is the one Souza followed. You can find it here.
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