Quick Quinoa Pulao

Quinoa Pulao is almost an instant pulao, a one pot meal with Indian flavors. It is very healthy as it is made with quinoa and any combination of fresh-cut vegetables.This flavorful dish can be made in an Instant pot pressure cooker or on a stovetop. It cooks in less than 30 minutes and is a great addition to any meal. Quinoa Pulao is also Vegan and Gluten-Free. Quinoa is very good for blood sugar control, a good source of protein, dietary fiber, and other nutrients and also very high in antioxidants. Do try out this recipe soon.

Quinoa Pulao served with Raita and banana chips

Ingredients

Quinoa - 1 cup

Chopped onions -1 cup (I used 1 medium onion)

Corn - 1 cup

Chopped carrots - 1 cup

Chopped mushrooms - 1 cup

Chopped capsicum/bell pepper - 1 cup

Grated Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder/Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 tbsp (adjust to your palate)

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsps

Water - 1 and 1/2 cups

Few Cashew bits (I used about 12 cashews broken into pieces)

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped Cilantro for garnishing

Directions

1. Rinse and wash the quinoa and drain well and keep aside.

2. Turn on Saute mode on the Instant Pot and heat oil. Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.

3. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few seconds till the raw smell goes. Next add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute or two till the onions are transclucent.

4. Next add the veggies (your combination) and the cashews and season with salt and sauté some more. (another minute or so)

5. Now add the turmeric, black pepper, garam masala and chilli powders and stir and mix some more for another minute.

6. Add the washed quinoa into the sautéed mixture and stir and cook for a minute. Add in the 1 and 1/2 cups of water.

7. Secure the lid. Change the Instant Pot setting to manual or pressure cook at high mode with vent closed and set the timer to 1 minute. (Alternatively, I also set my instant Pot on the rice mode too, it just takes a little more time to cook.)

8. After the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. Next open the lid, and fluff up the quinoa with a ladle or a fork.

9. Add in the lemon juice and the chopped cilantro and your meal is ready. Serve it with a simple raita and some chips. (Optional) You can find the raita recipe on the blog too.

Notes

You can use any combination of veggies. I sometimes use frozen mixed veggies too. This recipe is quite a favorite at my place and makes a great one dish meal in a jiffy!!