Quinoa - What is it like?

Cherry Blossom

I was thinking about signing up for a fitness plan, my friend has done a boot camp with the same woman and says your expected to eat a lot of porridge (which I already know I can't stomach) and quinoa. My friend says quinoa is like eating frog spawn. I might buy some at the weekend and try it when I've plenty of time to make something else if I don't like it.

Just wondering if anyone here has tried it and what they think of it. I'm a puke when it comes to food by the way. Plain Jane food all the way.

Tom Dunne

I think your friend is being unfair to frog spawn.

I would say it is more like toenail clippings. That have been harvested from the socks of builders after a six day week.

I've tried a few permutations of it and I just can't get it. I'm a particularly adventurous eater and there's very few things I don't eat, but quinoa just doesn't do it for me.

strelok

it's mildly nutty
it feels kinda like rice would if rice was the same size and shape as quinoa

it's not as plain as rice but it's pretty damn close imo. Maybe I'm cooking it wrong or something but I'm not all that pushed about it, I eat it every day mind but only because it's got a decent amount of magnesium compared to rice

Cherry Blossom

Hmmm, can't wait to try it now, at least it can't be any worse than expected . Is there any particular way to cook it, or what should I eat it with to lessen the impact. There seems to be a lot of chicken recipes online.

strelok

i just put 100g into a saucepan with 300g of water on a low heat. it's cooked when the water is all gone, then I leave it off the heat for 10-15 minutes. i don't know why I do this, i just read it somewhere ages ago.

it's better with things..... where with rice i'd be happy to just eat a forkful on its own, quinoa seems to do better in a spoonful with other ingredients as something complimentary rather than a mouthful on its own so I'd recommend mixing it well into whatever your meal is but I don't really know what i'm talking about anyway

eviltwin

I like it. You have to soak it well before use to get rid of the coating. Use it straight from the pack and it's horrible. I use it like rice and also make pizza base with it.

SB_Part2

It's not bad. I think toasting it before cooking makes it taste better. I cook mine in chicken stock and throw some curry powder in as well. Wouldn't just have a portion of it but it's nice as part of a mixed salad.

Mars Bar

I rinse it first and add a stock cube to the water that it boils and then simmers in. It's very bland without something mixed through it. I actually love it cold with an egg mixed through it!

Cherry Blossom

Thanks all. I think I'll try the cooking it in stock idea. Maybe have it with some chicken and green beans or something. If it's edible I'll think about the fitness plan thing and have some belvita biscuits instead of porridge and not tell them :P

miezekatze

I don't really like it that much on its own, but it can be nice as an ingredient in meals where the taste is masked by other ingredients and there are different textures. This is quite nice for example: http://damndelicious.net/2014/07/07/quinoa-enchilada-casserole/
I usually change the recipe a bit and add a lot more veggies.

Dial Hard

strelok wrote:

i just put 100g into a saucepan with 300g of water on a low heat. it's cooked when the water is all gone, then I leave it off the heat for 10-15 minutes. i don't know why I do this, i just read it somewhere ages ago.

Christ on a bike, no wonder you don't like it so.

I rinse it really, really well in a sieve to remove as much of the coating as possible.

Then, melt a knob of butter and grate a clove of garlic and finely chop half a fresh Anaheim chilli per portion of quinoa into a pot. Add the quinoa and toast til everything is looking dry-ish. Add about a cup of chicken stock per portion of quinoa and cook like you would a risotto. Season with salt and pepper to taste just before serving. Bob's yer uncle.

Shenshen

I like to use it instead of couscous - it's a very similar texture, and I can serve it some of my friends who are coeliac.

Personally, I particularly like it in a tabouleh - with lots of tomatoes and cucumber shopped small, a few olives, a good bit of parsley and seasoned with garlic. lemon and chili.

Cherry Blossom

Well I tried some. I cooked it in chicken stock but I still found it pretty tasteless. I ate about a third of it. I wouldn't be bothered with it again tbh.

Dizzyblonde

I'm not a fan, I think cooking quinoa is more effort than it's worth. I'd much rather have couscous.

Ruby31

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Well I tried some. I cooked it in chicken stock but I still found it pretty tasteless. I ate about a third of it. I wouldn't be bothered with it again tbh.

But you're supposed to use it like rice, potatoes or pasta - you serve it with sauces, meat, etc, not just on its own.

LaChatteGitane

Ruby31 wrote: »

But you're supposed to use it like rice, potatoes or pasta - you serve it with sauces, meat, etc, not just on its own.

Indeed. I usually toast them in a bit of sunflower or olive oil before adding water to it. Often I don't even add salt. Quinoa has very little flavour, although slightly nutty and I like that.
Just like rice, pasta or potatoes don't have much flavour on their own, you eat it as part of a meal.

Cherry Blossom

I cooked it in chicken stock and had it with chicken, green beans, onion and kale. Mostly I picked out the other ingredients and just ate those. It didn't seem right to have sauce with it as it was cooked in stock.

I could eat fried rice all day but I'm not a fan of rice just boiled either even it comes with curry.

CaoimheSquee

I use it instead of risotto rice.

Brown chicken breast in coconut oil in a big pan with seasoning, then add loads of different vegetables (i usually throw in chopped broccoli, peppers, courgette, sweet potato, carrot for example) and when they are softened add your soaked quinoa.
Then add chicken (or vegetable if you wanna do a veggie version and leave out the meat too) stock(enough to cover everything) and leave to simmer.
When cooked through add some creme fraiche and a little parsley. It's gorgeous and very handy for lunches or dinner for the week as it's a all done in the one pot so easy, healthy and very very tasty!

I also agree with the person who said it is nice toasted too.

Jellybaby1

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I was thinking about signing up for a fitness plan, my friend has done a boot camp with the same woman and says your expected to eat a lot of porridge (which I already know I can't stomach) and quinoa. My friend says quinoa is like eating frog spawn. I might buy some at the weekend and try it when I've plenty of time to make something else if I don't like it.

Just wondering if anyone here has tried it and what they think of it. I'm a puke when it comes to food by the way. Plain Jane food all the way.

This is my tuppence-worth. I know you hate porridge and I used to be like that. I am not a health professional or a nutritionist or doctor but I am Coeliac so I know what its like to eat stuff you absolutely abhor. However, I am now a daily eater of gluten free porridge. At first the taste was just plain evil, but I decided to add a spoon of honey and some sesame seeds with some ground flax seed, and it now tastes lovely, BUT you must only eat it when it is still FRESH and CREAMY, and don't leave it to turn to cement. I would suggest you play around with adding flavours you like, maybe some fresh or dried fruit, but in my opinion, it is totally inedible without the honey. Best of luck!

Cherry Blossom

I was force fed lumpy ready-break as a kid. My mother literally can't boil an egg. I gag even at the smell of porridge now. It's a psychological thing more than anything.

Jellybaby1

That's a shame. Sorry I can't stop laughing, but it must have been horrible for you. I was blessed with a mam who never made me eat anything I didn't want, my diet was then very limited but I was a very happy, chubby little girl!

Problem Of Motivation

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

I was thinking about signing up for a fitness plan, my friend has done a boot camp with the same woman and says your expected to eat a lot of porridge (which I already know I can't stomach) and quinoa. My friend says quinoa is like eating frog spawn. I might buy some at the weekend and try it when I've plenty of time to make something else if I don't like it.

Just wondering if anyone here has tried it and what they think of it. I'm a puke when it comes to food by the way. Plain Jane food all the way.

I pre-boil quinoa and add some to my porridge.

Sonny noggs

Problem Of Motivation wrote: »

I pre-boil quinoa and add some to my porridge.

That doesn’t surprise me one bit.

antix80

Problem Of Motivation wrote: »

I pre-boil quinoa and add some to my porridge.

Who in their right mind adds quinoa to porridge then bumps a 3 year old thread to brag about it? Get help.

Problem Of Motivation

Sonny noggs wrote: »

That doesn’t surprise me one bit.

Why?

Dizzyblonde

This thread hadn't had a new post in more than three years so I'm locking it.

@antix80 - personal attacks aren't tolerated in this forum so think carefully before posting here again.