Mint quinoa atop a blue table beside a bowl of curd
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Mint Quinoa Recipe

Giving a minty and coconutty spin to the otherwise tasteless and nutritious quinoa.
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa soaked for 20 minutes
  • 5-6 sprigs fresh mint
  • 8-10 sprigs coriander
  • 4-5 chilies
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 large Carrot diced
  • salt as per taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp garam masala or
  • 2 star anise seeds
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 4-5 bay leaves
  • 2 pods cardamom
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 5 pepper corns
  • 4 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder

Instructions

  • To make mint flavored quinoa, first make a paste of coriander, mint, chilies, and coconut with 2 tsp of water.
    Mint leaves, garlic, and cream in a plate
  • Thereafter, in a pressure cooker, heat oil on a medium flame.
  • Once the oil heats, add all the dry spices (star anise, cloves,pepper corns,bay leaf,cinnamon,cardamom) and sauté until the aromatic smell starts emitting from it.
  • Add the mint-coriander paste to the pressure cooker and sauté it for a minute.
  • To this, add onions and carrots and turmeric powder. Mix everything together and let it cook for 2 mins.
  • Add 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker (or wide pan with lid) and let it boil. At this time add salt so that you can do a taste test. For a cup of quinoa around 1 and 1/2 - 2 tsp of salt is suggested.
  • Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add soaked quinoa.
  • Stir it lightly whilst covering the pressure cooker with a lid. Cook for 2 whistles over medium flame. (cook for 15 mins on medium flame if cooking in a pan)
  • Once done with 2 whistles, turn off the heat and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Finally, open the lid once the steam has escaped. Serve it warm and enjoy the nutritious and delicious meal.
    Mint quinoa atop a blue table beside a bowl of curd

Notes

Mint quinoa is the one that you make when you are bored with all the other flavors. It tastes perfect on a rainy day when paired with roasted papads and pickle. You can also pair it with salad and raita to make it more interesting.
You can use Basmati rice instead of Quinoa.
You can also add roasted peanuts into the Dish while it is getting cooked.