Quinoa has a high nutrition profile hence is consumed widely in the recent years. It is a good source of iron, magnesium, fiber, Vitamin B2 and many essential nutrients. Quinoa is higher in antioxidants than any other gluten free grain. It is cooked like any other grain and served with side dishes or used in salads. Quinoa does not take up much time to cook so making any dish with it is quick. Sometimes I make mix vegetable quinoa upma for a morning breakfast or dinner. We usually serve it with idli podi, a bowl of plain yogurt or curd & pickle. More breakfast recipes, Oats upma Rava idli Pesarattu Masala dosa
Preparation
- Rinse quinoa very well a few times in a pot. You can also add them to a fine mesh colander and rinse under running water. I usually pour water to the pot. Rub them well with my hands and drain the water. I repeat this a few times. This gets rid of the saponins if any. Drain the water completely.
How To Make Quinoa Upma
- Add oil to a hot pan. Add mustard, chana dal, urad dal & cashews. We usually add cumin as well to make upma. You can skip it along with chana dal and urad dal as well. Fry them until the cashews & dal turns golden.
- Add all the chopped veggies, curry leaves, ginger and chili. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions turn transparent. You can also fry the curry leaves, onions and chilies first until the onions turn transparent. Then add the rest of the veggies.
- Pour water and add salt. Check salt by tasting water.
- Then add drained quinoa.
- Cook on a medium flame till the quinoa is cooked completely. Keep stirring to a few times. They look transparent when cooked well. If there is extra water left in the pan, evaporate by cooking for a little longer. Serve quinoa upma with plain yogurt or pickle. Squeeze in some lemon juice before serving. Serve quinoa upma with podi, pickle or curd. It goes good even in lunch box or as a breakfast or quick dinner.
Tips to make quinoa upma
Ratio: Quinoa to water ratio is the key for a fluffy quinoa upma. Most often I cook quinoa in an open pot with 1 part of quinoa and 2 parts of water. This gives me good results without making it mushy.Rinsing: If using regular kind of quinoa rinse-rub-rinse very well to get rid of the saponins. If using pre-rinsed then you can skip the rinsing part and use them directly. Both need the same amount of water.
Variations
Most often I use carrots, peas & beans to make this. However you can skip the veggies and just make it plain with the tempering ingredients.Feel free to spice up your quinoa upma with some spice powder. Sometimes I add ¾ teaspoon of vangi bath powder or sambar powder to this quinoa upma. It turns out very delicious with the flavors of Khara bath.I have not used tomato in this. But sometimes I do use a tiny deseeded tomato. I saute it very well until the raw smell of the tomato goes away. Then add the veggies.
You can also make this quinoa upma in an instant pot. Check the recipe notes for details. You can also check this post on instant pot quinoa. Related Recipes
