Quinua Graneada

The Andean answer to fluffy rice: quinoa boiled until each seed uncurls, light and granular, to serve beside stews

Origin: The Peruvian and Bolivian Highlands

From the journey of Quinoa.

Quinua graneada is the simplest and most fundamental of all quinoa dishes: quinoa cooked so that each seed stays separate, light, and fluffy, uncurling the little white tail of the germ, and served granular as the highland counterpart of plain rice. The name comes from 'grano', grain: a quinoa cooked grain by grain rather than into a porridge or soup. In the Andean kitchen it is the everyday bed for a stew, a sauce, or a piece of meat, exactly as rice or potato might be elsewhere, and it is the foundation on which countless other dishes are built. For all its simplicity it is a small art. The quinoa must be rinsed free of its bitter saponins, toasted briefly to bring out its nuttiness, then cooked in just the right amount of water and left to steam, so that the grains absorb the liquid and separate cleanly rather than clumping or going to mush. Done well, graneada is fragrant, nutty, and light, a world away from the heavy boiled quinoa of bad reputation. It is the most direct expression of quinoa as a staple grain, the mother grain of the Inca treated simply as the daily starch of the Andean table, and it remains the form in which most highland households eat quinoa most often.

Ingredients

  • 200 g white quinoa, rinsed thoroughly under cold water
  • 400 ml water
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 0.5 tsp salt

Method

  1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear, rubbing the grains to wash off the saponins. Drain well.
  2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the drained quinoa. Toast it, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells nutty and the grains dry and begin to crackle.
  3. Add the water and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cover.
  4. Cook, covered and undisturbed, for about 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains have uncurled their little white tails.
  5. Turn off the heat and let it stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork to separate the grains.

Notes

The classic ratio is roughly two parts water to one part quinoa by volume. Cook in stock instead of water, or add a bay leaf or a clove of garlic, for more flavour. Quinua graneada is the base for salads, bowls, and stuffings, and the everyday bed for any Andean stew or stew-like dish.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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