Quinoa – The Brain Grain

Some call it the super grain, others call it the brain grain because it’s considered to be almost a complete food – high in protein, full of vitamins, gluten- and wheat-free, cholesterol-free, usually organic and of benefit to everyone.  It’s also ideal for sustainable farming. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah or keen-o-wah) is an ancient plant native to the Andes mountains in South America and has been cultivated since at least 3000BCE and is known to have been a staple food of the Incas. “They used it to supplement their diet of potatoes and corn,” says Rena Patten in her terrific new book Cooking with Quinoa. “It was commonly referred to as the mother grain or gold of the Incas and was considered sacred.  It is still considered a very important food in the South American kitchen.” Each year in planting ceremonies, Inca rulers would plant the first row of quinoa with a gold planting stick.  It was also mixed with blood to make effigies for religious rituals. “Although commonly referred to as a grain (and I do here), in fact quinoa is the seed of a leafy plant called Chenopodium quinoa of Chenopodium (goosefoot) plant family and is a distant relation of spinach,” says Rena. Westerners use only the grain but the Incas used the whole plant – the young shoots, rich in minerals, were eaten as leafy vegetables; the seed was a staple; the stalks were used for fuel; and the ashes were mixed with the coca plant to increase the latter’s mind-altering effect.Quinoa is easy to cook and a good substitute for rice or other grains (it has a lower ratio of carbohydrates than any other grain plus a low GI level). The tiny grains (or seeds) swell as the cook and become translucent, ending in what looks like a minute ‘tail’. “As it cooks, this ‘tail’ spirals out and almost detaches itself, making an outer white ring that is clearly visible and quite distinct from the rest of the grain.  The cooked quinoa is very soft in the centre – although the tail retains a bit of crunch – and has a very delicate texture.  It expands to almost four times its original volume,” says Rena. The colour of the grains can vary from white (opaque), pale yellow to red, purple, brown and black and is also available in the form of flakes and flour. It’s a good idea to rinse the grains before cooking because they can taste slightly soapy – nature coats the grains with saponins to repel insects and birds. Cooked quinoa is distinctive in both taste and appearance and has a lovely, slightly nutty taste. After rinsing thoroughly in a fine sieve, place the quinoa in a saucepan with double the amount of liquid (1 cup quinoa: 2 cups water), bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a flat surface to cook. Once prepared, it’s very versatile and, as you’ll see from the recipes in Rena’s book, can be used in soups, breads, pasta, salads, with meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables and poultry, and in desserts. You can also sprout quinoa by placing one part rinsed quinoa with three parts water in a jar with a lid and soak for about 2 hours – drain and rinse, then return to the jar with the lid on and leave to sprout.  Make sure to rinse them at least twice a day.  The sprouts are very tiny and should be ready in about three days but must be eaten immediately as they do not last.  Great in salads. For an added nutty flavour, dry-fry the grains in a non-stick pan before using – remove from the heat once they start to pop, then transfer to saucepan with 2 parts liquid and cook as above. A super duper grain indeed.