Getting creative with quinoa

With interest in the gluten-free grain continuing to rise, check out all the ways you can incorporate this couscous-lookalike into your daily meals

LAMB QUINOA POTLI BIRYANI
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients
. 150 gm Spanish white onion, sliced
. 100 gm red onion, sliced
. 25 gm ginger
. 25 gm garlic
. 250 gm plain flour
. 1 gm saffron
. 50 ml double cream
. 50 ml vegetable oil
. 5 gm bay leaves
. 10 gm black cardamom
. 10 gm cinnamon sticks
. 5 gm cumin seeds
. 10 gm whole Kashmiri red chilli
. 800 gm lamb leg, boned, cut into 1-inch cubes
. 30 gm salt
. 20 gm coriander powder
. 20 gm cumin powder
. 2 gm turmeric powder
. 5 gm kasoori methi powder
. 5 gm deggi mirch powder
. 100 gm tomato, finely chopped
. 10 gm green cardamom
. 2 gm black peppercorns
. 10 gm mace
. 500 gm quinoa, washed, soaked
. 20 gm mint
. 20 ml rose water
. 15 ml kewra water
. 50 ml vegetable oil, for frying

Method
Fry and brown the Spanish and red onions in separate pans. Set aside.
Peel ginger and garlic cloves and make a fine paste.
Knead the flour in water and divide into four balls; keep refrigerated.
Soak saffron in cream and set aside.
In a thick-bottom pan, heat oil and temper with bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds and whole Kashmiri red chilli.
When these spices start to crackle, add lamb cubes and fried Spanish onions; sear the lamb and add salt.
Cook and stir continuously until the lamb is seared and the onions are mashed to a fine paste-like consistency.
Add the ginger and garlic paste along with the powdered spices and reduce to low heat; stir for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add water until it covers the lamb, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Check and stir the lamb regularly.
Once nearly done, turn the stove to high temperature and stir until almost all the moisture evaporates.
In a separate pan, boil water with green cardamom, black peppercorn and mace.
Add soaked quinoa and boil for 5 minutes; strain when the quinoa is half-cooked.
Add quinoa to the lamb along with mint, rose water, kewra water, saffron cream and fried red onion; cover with lid and shake gently.
Divide the biryani into four serving bowls.
Roll out the four flour balls into 12-inch flatbreads and put the biryani in the middle, cover and seal the dough so it resembles a pouch.
Fry the whole pouch in the remaining vegetable oil for 5 minutes until the pastry is cooked through.
Remove from fryer, dry off excess oil and cut the top off the pastry.
Serve lamb biryani in the pouch with egg raita.


LASOONI JHEENGA WITH QUINOA AND BEETS SALAD
Serves: 4
Prep time: 1 hr 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients
. 500 gm prawns, shelled, deveined
. 50 gm garlic, puréed
. 25 gm olive oil
. 15 gm low sodium salt
. 20 gm white pepper powder
. 10 gm green cardamom powder
. 20 ml lemon juice
. 50 gm natural Greek yoghurt
. 25 gm ginger and garlic paste

For the salad:
. 100 gm quinoa, washed, soaked
. 50 gm beetroot
. 50 gm carrot
. 5 tbsp pomegranate seeds
. 1 tsp chopped mint leaves
. 1 tsp dry mango powder

Method
Make a marinade with all the ingredients and coat the prawns with it. Refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Place the prawns in a single layer on a baking sheet, and roast at 200°C for 8 minutes.
For the salad, boil quinoa for 15 minutes; drain and chill.
Boil beetroot and carrot al dente, chop and set aside.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well.
Serve Lasooni prawns hot, with quinoa salad and mint chutney on the side.


TARRAGON-ROASTED PANEER AND QUINOA TIKKA
Serves: 4
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients
. 500 gm paneer, diced into 2-inch squares
. 50 gm quinoa
. 1 gm saffron
. 50 ml double cream
. 1 red bell pepper, diced into 2-inch squares
. 1 green bell pepper, diced into 2-inch squares
. 1 yellow bell pepper, diced into 2-inch squares
. 25 gm natural yoghurt
. 25 gm ginger garlic paste
. 15 gm green chilli, chopped
. 10 ml lemon juice
. 10 gm tarragon, chopped
. 10 gm turmeric
. 20 gm white pepper powder
. 20 gm salt
. 5 gm tandoori garam masala

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Dice the paneer into 2-inch squares (about ½-inch thick).
Wash and soak quinoa for 15 minutes. Boil water in a deep pan, add quinoa and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and
set aside.
Soak saffron in cream and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients (except for paneer) together with the saffron milk.
Marinate paneer in the above mixture of spices and coat well.
Thread two cubes of paneer, peppers and onion onto each bamboo skewer.
Line a deep pan with parchment paper and place paneer skewers on top. Add any excess quinoa and yoghurt marinade to the paneer.
Seal the pan with a lid and place in the oven for 10 minutes to cook paneer.
Sprinkle lemon juice and serve on skewers.


QUINOA-CRUSTED SUBZ SEEKH
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients
. 250 gm potato,
peeled, diced
. 100 gm fine green beans, sliced
. 50 gm carrot, peeled, diced
. 50 gm broccoli, broken into florets, stem diced
. 50 gm green peas
. 50 gm quinoa
. 20 gm ginger
. 2 fresh green chilli
. 25 ml olive oil
. 20 gm lemon juice
. 15 gm red chilli powder
. 25 gm pomegranate powder
. 10 gm black salt
. 100 gm breadcrumbs

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Boil all vegetables (green peas separately), strain and set aside.
Pick, wash and soak quinoa for 20 minutes, then boil until cooked, drain and set aside.
Blend all vegetables, ginger and green chilli until you get a coarse paste.
Heat olive oil in a thick-bottom pan. Add the vegetable paste and cook until the mixture is thick and devoid of moisture.
Add lemon juice, red chilli powder, pomegranate powder and black salt.
Spread the vegetable mixture on a tray and leave to cool.
Add breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture.
Use skewers to shape the vegetable mixture into sausage-sized cylinders (approx. 1/3 cup mixture per skewer). Roll the skewers on a plate full of boiled quinoa and press into the quinoa so it sticks.
Place in a single layer across a baking sheet, and roast at 200°C for 10 minutes.
Remove skewers and serve with tamarind sauce.


TANDOORI SALMON WITH QUINOA AND YOGHURT RELISH
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients
. 800 gm salmon fillets
. Bunch of rosemary, chopped
. 20 gm Dijon mustard
. 100 gm asparagus
. 1 gm saffron
. 25 gm milk
. 20 ml lemon juice
. 50 gm ginger and garlic paste
. 20 ml olive oil
. 50 gm natural Greek yoghurt
. 15 gm turmeric
. 10 gm red chilli powder
. 10 gm dry mango powder

For the quinoa and yoghurt relish:
. 100 gm quinoa, washed, soaked
. 20 gm red onion, finely chopped, washed
. 1 tsp low calorie sweetener
. 50 gm natural Greek yoghurt
. 2 tbsp dill, chopped

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Rub out fins from salmon fillet and cut into 2-inch squares.
Dry-roast the rosemary in a pan and lay aside to cool.
Make a marinade using all the ingredients and coat salmon with it.
Place in a single layer on a baking sheet (skin side down), and roast at 200°C for 10 minutes.
For the quinoa and yoghurt relish, boil quinoa for 15 minutes, then drain and press down to remove any excess moisture.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and chill in a refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serve the tandoori salmon sprinkled with lemon juice and quinoa relish quenelles.

WHOLE WHEAT CAKE WITH RASPBERRY AND QUINOA COMPOTE
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients
For the cake:
. 3 eggs
. 2 bananas
. 15 fresh dates, seedless
. 50 ml sunflower oil
. 250 gm whole wheat flour
. 1 ½ tsp baking powder
. 3 tsp cinnamon
. ½ tsp nutmeg
. ½ tsp cardamom
. ½ cup coconut flakes
. ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
. ½ cup raisins
. Fresh berries, to serve

For the compote:
. 50 gm quinoa, washed, soaked
. 100 gm raspberries, washed
. 20 gm low calorie sweetener

Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Whisk the eggs in a medium sized bowl.
Blend bananas, dates and oil into a thick cream in a separate bowl.
Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and combine with the eggs and the bananas.
Add coconut flakes, walnuts and raisins and stir until the mixture comes together.
Pour into a cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes (stick a toothpick into the centre of the cake; if it comes out clean, the cake is ready). Remove and cool.
For the compote, place the quinoa and raspberries into a heavy bottom saucepan. Add water to cover the berries, then add sweetener. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes (add more water if required). Remove from heat, transfer into a bowl and chill.
To serve, cut the cake into rectangles, and serve with quinoa and raspberry compote and fresh berries.

• Food and Dining