Aug 15, 2022 Quinoa is something I have grown to like over the years. At first, I wasn’t a fan but then I developed the palate for it and now I enjoy it in various forms. Sarvesh on the other hand is still not a fan. However, now he does eat it when I mix -in some flavors with the quinoa. Like this Mexican Quinoa , Quinoa Khichdi or this Lemon Quinoa. This Lemon Quinoa is another way in which I enjoy quinoa these days. It’s requires few ingredients and is easy to make in the Instant Pot. Ever since I have had my Instant pot, I have never really cooked quinoa on stove-top. It takes zero monitoring and
South Indian style Lemon Quinoa
✔ is flavored with curry leaves, ginger, lemon juice and lots of peanuts! ✔ is vegan and can be easily made gluten-free. ✔ can be eaten for breakfast or lunch. ✔ served at room temperature making it ideal for lunch boxes or picnics. I flavor this quinoa exactly in the same way that I make my lemon rice. Swapping rice with quinoa makes the dish protein packed and wholesome.
Ingredients
Quinoa: I have used white quinoa but you can use red or tricolor quinoa as well. Spices: this recipe used whole spice like mustard seeds and hing and turmeric for color and flavor. Lemon juice: this since is lemon quinoa, I recommend using fresh lemon juice. Do not use bottled version. Peanuts: the crunchy roasted peanuts add a lot of texture and flavor to this dish. You can add as much as you like.
Method
1- Rinse 1 cup quinoa using a strainer for a minute. This is important and helps remove the bitterness, you can skip this step if using pre-rinsed quinoa. Set it aside. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Once the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and then add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop, and then add 1/2 teaspoon each of chana dal and urad dal. Cook for 30 seconds or so until the dal starts changing color. 2- Add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 10-12 curry leaves, 1 sliced green chili and generous pinch of hing. Cook for 30 seconds or so. 3- Then add the rinsed quinoa to the pot along with 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water (240 ml + 30 ml= 270 ml). If using 8 qt Instant Pot or if you prefer softer quinoa and want the texture to be like soft rice, add additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) water here. The total water in that case would be 330 ml. 4- Also add 2 to 2 & 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. 5-Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and salt to taste, around 1/2 teaspoon. Stir everything and close the pot. 6- Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally. 7- Open the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. 8- Add in 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts. You can taste test and add more lemon juice if needed at this point.
Serving Suggestions
This lemon quinoa is best served at room temperature. I usually eat it with pickle on the side. You can also eat it with a chutney. This is one of those recipes that you can make in literally no time, the prep time is only like 5 minutes, the pressure cooker does most of the work here. If you are looking for new ways to flavor quinoa, then give this recipe a try. It’s easy, wholesome and the lemon flavor makes it perfect for summer!
Quinoa to Water Ratio
1 cup quinoa with 1 & 1/4 cup water results in the perfect quinoa where all grains are separate. So that’s why in this recipe the total liquid used is 1 & 1/4 cup (1 cup + 2 tablespoons water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice). However, if you prefer softer quinoa like soft rice OR if you use an 8qt- please add additional 1/4 cup water. 1 cup quinoa to 1 & 1/2 cup water results in a softer quinoa and also since 8qt are bigger pots, less amount of water can result in a burn message especially in the newer models.
Tips & Notes
Skip hing to make this recipe gluten-free.Use additional 1/4 cup water for softer quinoa. Adding extra water will also work better if you are making this for next day lunch-box since extra water will make it stay softer.
If you’ve tried this Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen and on YouTube to watch my latest videos.
title: “Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa South Indian Style " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-24” author: “Mary Wilkes”
Aug 15, 2022 Quinoa is something I have grown to like over the years. At first, I wasn’t a fan but then I developed the palate for it and now I enjoy it in various forms. Sarvesh on the other hand is still not a fan. However, now he does eat it when I mix -in some flavors with the quinoa. Like this Mexican Quinoa , Quinoa Khichdi or this Lemon Quinoa. This Lemon Quinoa is another way in which I enjoy quinoa these days. It’s requires few ingredients and is easy to make in the Instant Pot. Ever since I have had my Instant pot, I have never really cooked quinoa on stove-top. It takes zero monitoring and
South Indian style Lemon Quinoa
✔ is flavored with curry leaves, ginger, lemon juice and lots of peanuts! ✔ is vegan and can be easily made gluten-free. ✔ can be eaten for breakfast or lunch. ✔ served at room temperature making it ideal for lunch boxes or picnics. I flavor this quinoa exactly in the same way that I make my lemon rice. Swapping rice with quinoa makes the dish protein packed and wholesome.
Ingredients
Quinoa: I have used white quinoa but you can use red or tricolor quinoa as well. Spices: this recipe used whole spice like mustard seeds and hing and turmeric for color and flavor. Lemon juice: this since is lemon quinoa, I recommend using fresh lemon juice. Do not use bottled version. Peanuts: the crunchy roasted peanuts add a lot of texture and flavor to this dish. You can add as much as you like.
Method
1- Rinse 1 cup quinoa using a strainer for a minute. This is important and helps remove the bitterness, you can skip this step if using pre-rinsed quinoa. Set it aside. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Once the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and then add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop, and then add 1/2 teaspoon each of chana dal and urad dal. Cook for 30 seconds or so until the dal starts changing color. 2- Add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 10-12 curry leaves, 1 sliced green chili and generous pinch of hing. Cook for 30 seconds or so. 3- Then add the rinsed quinoa to the pot along with 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water (240 ml + 30 ml= 270 ml). If using 8 qt Instant Pot or if you prefer softer quinoa and want the texture to be like soft rice, add additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) water here. The total water in that case would be 330 ml. 4- Also add 2 to 2 & 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. 5-Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and salt to taste, around 1/2 teaspoon. Stir everything and close the pot. 6- Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally. 7- Open the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. 8- Add in 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts. You can taste test and add more lemon juice if needed at this point.
Serving Suggestions
This lemon quinoa is best served at room temperature. I usually eat it with pickle on the side. You can also eat it with a chutney. This is one of those recipes that you can make in literally no time, the prep time is only like 5 minutes, the pressure cooker does most of the work here. If you are looking for new ways to flavor quinoa, then give this recipe a try. It’s easy, wholesome and the lemon flavor makes it perfect for summer!
Quinoa to Water Ratio
1 cup quinoa with 1 & 1/4 cup water results in the perfect quinoa where all grains are separate. So that’s why in this recipe the total liquid used is 1 & 1/4 cup (1 cup + 2 tablespoons water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice). However, if you prefer softer quinoa like soft rice OR if you use an 8qt- please add additional 1/4 cup water. 1 cup quinoa to 1 & 1/2 cup water results in a softer quinoa and also since 8qt are bigger pots, less amount of water can result in a burn message especially in the newer models.
Tips & Notes
Skip hing to make this recipe gluten-free.Use additional 1/4 cup water for softer quinoa. Adding extra water will also work better if you are making this for next day lunch-box since extra water will make it stay softer.
If you’ve tried this Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen and on YouTube to watch my latest videos.
