Quinoa

Photo from quinoa.net


Last night, Chef Michael, (that's his name), the Chef at Home on the Asian Food Channel cooked quinoa with vegetables, a turkey meat loaf, a healthy apple pie and mashed potatoes to go with all the above.

I looked quinoa (pronounced “keenwa”) at www.quinoa.net and discovered that it is an ancient food now in the process of being rediscovered by modern eaters. It originates from South America, (Peru and Bolivia) and was the food of the Incas before the Spanish conquest practically killed the crop. A renewed respect for indigenous crops and traditional foods has since reversed a 400-year decline in quinoa production.

Quinoa is a small seed that in size, shape, and color looks like a cross between sesame seed and millet. It is disk shaped with a flattened or depressed equatorial band around its periphery. It is usually a pale yellow color but some species may vary from almost white through pink, orange, or red to purple and black.

Quinoa is a great health food, a zero cholesterol food for people with wheat and gluten related food allergies as well as a great diet for vegetarians, seniors and diabetics.

It is a balanced-amino-acid source of high quality protein.

It is a high-iron food that raises the hematocrit, delivers more oxygen to the brain, fights senility, great for senior citizens

Its a very low-glycemic-index cereal type food (35 on the glycemic index)

They say it is quite delicious. Can be used in a purple (not green) cabbage & romaine & onion salad, with a stalk of chopped celery & celery leaves, salt & pepper and a pinch of cumin, with ranch dressing.

Quinoa is a rice substitute. You cook it similarly to rice, 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt. You can use a rice cooker and it cooks between 15 to 20 minutes.

Chef Micheal grated a carrot and cucumber, shredded some lettuce and added them to the cooked quinoa with a dash of pepper, salt and lemon juice.

Meanwhile, I am off to the supermarket to see if they stock quinoa in Malaysia.......