Written By: Upneet Pansare | Updated : October 30, 2017 5:19 PM IST
Like everyone else, I have been taken in by the superfoods craze. From avocado to chia seeds and from Greek yoghurt to kale, I have given everything a shot. Not that I regret trying any of these since they are delicious and have tons of health benefits. The one thing that worries me most about trying these foreign superfoods is the cost. One of the superfoods in this list is quinoa. After all the price of an 800 gm packet of quinoa is anything between Rs 900 to 1000. Even the quinoa salads that I have tried in restaurants here in Mumbai are on the steeper side. Agreed, the health benefits of quinoa are plenty. And that is what ultimately led me to try this super grain that has assumed so much importance in the recent years. (Read: Try this delicious weight loss recipe with avocados)
Since I had some fresh prawns in my house and a few vegetables, I decided to whip up a healthy stir-fried prawn and quinoa dish for my family. It was an instant hit! The best part about the dish was that it was filling but felt extremely light, unlike the full feeling that you get after eating rice. Quinoa comes in 3 varieties black (crunchy), red (slightly crunchy), and white (not crunch). I had white quinoa, which I learnt later, was the more easily available variety in the market. Before cooking quinoa, I followed the washing instructions to the T. You need to thoroughly wash the quinoa in water to remove the white residue which gives a bitter taste to quinoa when it s cooked. After cleaning it, you need to soak the quinoa in water for about 20 minutes to soften it. Then drain the water. (Read: Honey and orange glazed chicken weight loss recipe)
I hope you like my recipe as much as I did. Here it goes:
Ingredients
cup quinoa
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil
100 gm prawns, cleaned and deveined
tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4-5- cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Broccoli floret
cup chopped carrots
1/3rd cup chopped capsicum
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
1 cup vegetable or chicken or seafood broth or plain water
1 onion, chopped
Method:
1) Marinate the prawns with salt, pepper, turmeric and ginger garlic paste, for about 30 minutes.
For cooking the quinoa, bring 1 cup vegetable or chicken or seafood broth to boil. When it is about to boil, add the quinoa. It will take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Make sure that there is no broth left and that the quinoa is light and fluffy. Keep the quinoa aside.
2) In a pan, pour oil, and fry onion till it becomes translucent. Then add garlic.
3) Add the prawns and let them cook for about 5-10 minutes.
4) Add the chopped vegetables till they cook.
5) Season with salt and pepper.
6) Add coriander for garnishing.
Read: Creamy prawns coconut curry recipe
Image source: Shutterstock
