OCTOBER 2015: Southeast Asian Quinoa Bowl (with Thai and Chinese influence)

photoed by A. Rajan

This is inspired by Thai style cooking, and Hakka style Chinese cooking. I just did fusion to experiment, and now I make this once a week.

Ingredients

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1 1/2 cup quinoa

water

a stalk of lemon grass

1 tbsp oil

1/4 cup raw peanuts

half an inch piece of ginger, shredded

2 cloves of garlic, minced

a bunch of spring onions (whites to cook; greens to garnish)

1/4 cup green beans, julienned

1 cup cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, shredded (or julienned) 

1 bell pepper, diced

2-3 Thai green chillies

1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce or soya sauce

(If using hoisin, skip sugar. If not, add 1 tsp brown sugar)

salt (to taste)
black pepper, cracked (to taste)

Procedure

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1) First, cook your quinoa in double quantity of water, with the lemon grass added to it. Cook for about 15-20 minutes. Once done, you can separate the grains gently with a fork. Set aside. (The lemon grass will add nice flavor and fragrance to the quinoa.)

photoed by A. Rajan

2) In a pan, add oil and fry the raw peanuts. 

3) Keep the peanuts for garnish later. 

4) (In the same oil) saute your ginger, garlic, (whites of) spring onions, green beans, cabbage, carrot, and bell pepper. 

photoed by A. Rajan

5) Cook only so much that there will be still a little bite to it. 

6) Now add green chillies. 

7) Stir in little fish sauce and hoisin sauce. (If using soya sauce, add brown sugar at this stage.) 

8) Add the salt and the black pepper

9) Stir and then add cooked quinoa to this. 

10) Mix (greens of) spring onions and the peanuts. 

Your quinoa is ready. It is drool worthy and delicious!

--A.R.