QUINOA PULAO / PILAF / PULAV

Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free super grain.. It is pronounced as Keen-wah... and it is called mother of all grains, it is native to south america. Regarding the health benefits, quinoa is one of the most protein rich grain, it has twice the fibre of most other grains, it has iron, lysine, rich in magnesium, high content of manganese, riboflavin, so on.. So its a super healthy grain for weight watchers :-) Quinoa can be used in almost every rice dish substituting it for rice..  I tried to google to find the tamil name , quite confusing some says its thinai and some says it doesn't carry a tamil name as its origin is america... You can find quinoa in most food marts now a days... or you can book online too... Here we go for the super good grain Quinoa Vegetable Pulav..




Ingredients : Serves - 2

Quinoa - 1/2 Cup
Mixed Vegetables - 1/2 Cup ( I Used Carrots, Beans, Peas, Potato, Cauliflower )
Onion - Finely Chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Teaspoon
Green Chilies - 2 ( Cut in to two halves )
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Sambhar Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon ( Replace it with redchili n dhaniya Powder )
Saunf/ Fennel seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Star anise - 1/2
Cardamom - 2
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
Cashews - 4 or 5
Rasins - 3 or 4
Garam masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt - To taste
Oil/ Ghee - 1 Table Spoon

Method :

Wash quinoa well under water for at least 3 times. Soak it for about half an hour and then drain it and keep it aside..
Heat a pan/ kadai, add oil/ghee and fry fennel seeds, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, bayleaf, and fry for a minute or until fragrant now add cashews  and raisins to it and fry until it turns golden brown, then add sliced onion, and green chilies, fry until onion for a minute and add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell leaves, then add turmeric powder, sambhar powder, and saute well, now add all the vegetables and saute them well for about 5 minutes, now add the drained quinoa to it fry until the moisture evaporates, add salt, and garam masala, saute well so that all of the spices mix well together with quinoa.
Add about 1 Cup of water and bring it to a boil, Cover and cook in simmer flame until the quinoa gets cooked well. Open the lid and check, if some moisture is left after quinoa is cooked, then open the lid until it gets evaporated, mix it now and then.. Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves .

Enjoy the nutty Quinoa Pilaf with your favorite raitha :-)))

Notes :

You can add capsicum if you have.
If you like tangy taste then drizzle little lemon juice on top.
Raisins can also be fried and added.