Quinoa is one of my go-tos. It's hands down one of my favorite things to make. In the winter, I eat a lot of lentils and sweet potatoes. In the warmer months, though? I crave something a little bit brighter and oftentimes opt for quinoa. A lot of the times I add sweet potatoes to offset the slight bitterness to quinoa. Although today I decided to play up the more nutty flavor profile with ginger, jalapeños, shallots, tamari, and apple cider vinegar. I made it specifically to go with an Ahi Tuna Steak Salad and Salmon Salad w/ Quinoa. Although ginger quinoa goes with a wide variety of dishes. It's one of those recipes where I'll take whatever I have on hand and toss it into a rice cooker.
A lot of the times rice cookers are associated with... well, rice. For obvious namesake reasons. Although there are plenty of other grains and legumes that cook incredibly well in a rice cooker. It's one of the simplest dishes to make. It only takes a few minutes to dice up the produce and then toss everything into the rice cooker. You can easily mix and match in your own fruits, vegetables, and seasonings to fit what you have on hand or your own favorite flavor profiles. You get all of the joys of a slow cooker recipe without actually having to slowly cook it.
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Variations of Ginger Quinoa
I make quinoa all of the time. It's one of my favorite recipes to toss a bunch of stuff that I have lying around into and then come back to freshly cooked food. You can make quinoa on the stove. Although a rice cooker is a great simple version of the recipe. It takes virtually no time at all to make and is incredibly diverse and delicious to boot. I'll eat quinoa as the main course, on the side as a side dish, or as a salad to accompany seafood or other entrées.
This Ginger Quinoa recipe consists of jalapeños, shallots, tamari, apple cider vinegar, and freshly minced ginger. I ordinarily use rice vinegar in my quinoa dishes. Although I knew that I was going to pair this with ahi tuna steaks and salmon over the next couple of meals. So, I went with apple cider vinegar in this variation. Although you can mix and match whatever vinegar works best with your particular flavor profile and food pairings.
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger produce and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices. And then add the quinoa and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes. Alternatively you can simmer on the stove. Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring uncovered to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and quinoa are tender. Turn off heat, add lid, and let sit another 5-10 minutes.
You can also easily substitute other vegetables or types of quinoa. For this recipe I used whatever I had ripening in my garden with royal quinoa. Royal quinoa is primarily cultivated in Bolivia and tends to have larger grains and a fluffier texture. I tend not to notice much of a difference between typical white quinoa and royal quinoa. But it’s always fun to explore! Red quinoa has a more prominent and nuttier flavor and tri-colored is largely the in-between variety.
Any quinoa, or even other grain or legume, like lentils or rice, would substitute in this recipe without changing the ratio.
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