Food Glossary

Small, fine and tasty quinoa

How to store, prepare & cook quinoa

Quinoa is a small seed that when cooked has a fine texture similar to couscous or bulghur wheat. Once a sacred food of the Incas, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a versatile accompaniment to a variety of meat, fish or poultry main courses. Waitrose sell Organic Quinoa and many other varieties.

Uses: Quinoa can be served as an alternative to rice or pasta. It is particularly good served with main courses that have lots of sauce. It can be eaten hot or cold and combined with ingredients such as chopped pepper, salad onions and nuts to make a quick and easy salad dish.

To store: Keep quinoa in a cool, dry place and consume by the best before date.

To prepare: Quinoa requires no preparation and can be cooked straight from the pack.

To cook: Add 500g quinoa (to serve 8) to a large pan containing 1 litre of boiling water and simmer over a moderate heat for 10 minutes or until the seeds become swollen. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside until any excess liquid has been absorbed. Stir with a fork to separate the seeds before serving. Add any flavourings such as chopped peppers, chillies, garlic, lemon or lime juice just before serving if desired.

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