Curd Quinoa Recipe

Curd Quinoa is a protein rich vegetarian dish inspired by South Indian Thayir Sadam / curd rice. Cooked quinoa replaces rice in this simple and easy recipe. Addition of cucumber and pomegranates make the dish refreshing and appealing. Peanuts add a lovely crunch and nutty flavor to the other wise soft and creamy dish. The curd quinoa mix is furthered tempered with ghee and other Indian spices to make a delicious and nutritious dish. Serve it as a gluten free healthy breakfast or lunch with some lemon pickle and papadam if you are craving for some comfort and guilt free food. If you have cooked quinoa ready at hand , the dish can be made in a jiffy. Curd quinoa also serves as a great baby and toddler recipe as it is easy to digest.

Quinoa(Keen-wah) is one of the world's most popular health foods and often referred to as super grain. It is gluten-free, high in protein and fiber and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in magnesium, B-vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidant. 

Quinoa cooks up like rice , is versatile and has a mild, nutty flavor and a light , fluffy texture. You can check out Quinoa Summer Salad from my blog if you are looking for more quinoa recipes. 

#Yogurt Recipes is the theme for #141th #FoodieMondayBloghop and this delicious and nutritious curd quinoa is my contribution towards the theme. Check out my fellow bloggers post as well for some yummy recipes on this theme.

                           

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Quinoa ( i have used organic)
• 1 cup Curd
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pomegranate arils
• 2 tablespoon peanuts
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
• Salt to taste

To Temper :

• 1-2 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon split and skinned black gram
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Method:

1. Place 1 cup quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove the bitterness.  Drain and keep aside. Heat 2 cups water in a sauce pan . ( Ratio is 2 cup water to 1 cup raw quinoa) Add drained quinoa to it with a dash of salt and bring to a rolling boil. 

2. Reduce to a simmer , cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the quinoa turns tender and all the water gets absorbed. Let the sauce pan remain covered for 5 minutes after putting off the flame.

3. On cooking the quinoa turns slightly translucent and we can see tiny spirals / germ ( appear like small tails) coming out from the quinoa seed . Fluff it gently with a fork and allow to cool down at room temperature. 

4. In a mixing bowl, take cooked quinoa and add curd to it. Blend well. Now add chopped cucumber, pomegranate arils , salt and sugar. Mix well.

 5. Next heat ghee in a small pan. Add peanuts to it and fry until crunchy. Remove the fried peanuts with a slotted spoon and add to the curd quinoa. In the same pan with remaining ghee, add the ingredients under 'to temper' list. First add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the black gram, let it fry until it changes it turns pinkish, next add curry leaves, followed by broken dry red chilies. Put off the flame after few seconds. Pour this tempering over the curd quinoa.

6. Lastly garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Keep the curd quinoa refrigerated until serving time.

Recipe Notes:

• Grated carrots can also be added along with cucumber in this recipe.
• If making curd quinoa for babies, grate the veggies well and skip red chilies in the tempering.
• Let the cooked quinoa cool down completely before adding curd to it.
• If you do not want to refrigerate the dish, at least sit it for 1/2 an hour before it is served, so that the flavors blend well.

 I hope you would love to try out this delicious and healthy curd quinoa to treat yourself this summer. If you do so , feel free to share your feed back with us. Follow us on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter   and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

For more yogurt based recipes, do check my post on

• Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

                                   

• Dahi Papdi Chaat

                                    

• Strawberry Shrikhand

                                    

• Amrakhand- Mango Shrikhand

                                    

• Rose Lassi Popsicle

                                    

• Curd Rice