Ingredients
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▢½ cup quinoa
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▢1.5 tablespoon oil – any neutral tasting oil
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▢⅓ cup finely chopped onions or 1 small to medium-sized
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▢½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger or ½ inch ginger
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▢1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or 1 to 2 green chilies – chopped
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▢1 dry red chili – stem and seeds removed, optional
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▢1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
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▢7 to 8 curry leaves
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▢½ teaspoon mustard seeds
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▢½ teaspoon cumin seeds
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▢½ teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram)
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▢½ teaspoon moong dal (yellow mung lentils)
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▢⅓ cup finely chopped carrots or 1 small carrot
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▢¼ cup finely chopped french beans 5 to 6 french beans
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▢⅓ cup green peas – frozen
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▢1 cup water
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▢salt as required
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▢2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
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Take the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse well in running water. Drain the water and set aside.
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Heat the oil in a pan. Keep the heat to a low. Add mustard seeds.
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Once the mustard seeds begin crackling, then add cumin seeds, urad dal and moong dal or chana dal.
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Stir often and fry on a low heat until the urad dal and moong dal turn golden.
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Then add finely chopped ginger, chopped green chilies, dry red chili and a pinch of asafoetida (optional). Fry on low heat for about half a minute.
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Next add finely chopped onions and curry leaves.
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Stir and sauté on a low to medium heat till the onions become translucent and soften.
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Then add finely chopped carrots, finely chopped french beans and frozen green peas. Mix well.
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Sauté on a low heat for two minutes.
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Then add the quinoa and mix very well again.
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Sauté for a minute or two on low heat.
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Add water and mix again.
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Add salt as per taste. Check the taste of the water and add more salt if needed.
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Cover the pan with its lid and simmer on a low heat till the quinoa seeds are cooked, softened, look translucent and fluffy.
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Once or twice you can stir the quinoa while the seeds are being cooked.
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When all the water has been absorbed and the grains appear translucent and cooked well, remove the lid and switch off the heat.
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Add the chopped coriander leaves.
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Give a quick stir and serve vegetable quinoa upma hot or warm with a few lemon wedges or coconut chutney or lime pickle
Notes
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Quinoa to water ratio: For one measure of quinoa, I add double the amount of water. I always cook quinoa covered in a pan and this proportion works very well for me.
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Rinsing quinoa: Always rinse quinoa seeds whether they are pre-rinsed or the regular variety. Rinsing helps in removing the bitterness that comes from saponin present on the seeds. Agitate or rub the seeds while rinsing.
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Veggie variations: Feel free to add vegetables like chopped broccoli, shredded cabbage, finely chopped or shredded carrots, green peas, chopped snap peas, frozen corn, grated beets or chopped bell peppers.
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Gluten-free variation: To make a gluten-free recipe, either skip adding asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
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Scale: Easily scale up the recipe to make a serving of four.