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This easy kimchi fried quinoa recipe uses just 5 ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes. It's a perfect side dish or used as a base for stir fry!
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We're all about quick and easy here at SQ. So when things come together in under 10 minutes and use just 5 ingredients, you know it's a keeper.
Today we've got just that. A recipe for kimchi fried quinoa that is crazy simple and crazy fast.
Whether you're looking for a tasty side dish, want something new to serve with your favorite stir fry (because let's get real, white rice can be pretty dang boring), or you just have some kimchi that's been sitting in the back of your fridge and you don't know what to do with it, this recipe has you covered.
Why is Kimchi Healthy?
First, let's talk kimchi! Kimchi is a classic side dish in Korean cuisine that is made by fermenting vegetables in a spicy Asian-inspired seasoning. To me, it's a more interesting variation of sauerkraut.
Kimchi is one of those foods that has been dazzling the health world for the last few years. All the health experts love it, but I don't think it has quite broken through. Because kimchi is fermented, a lot of people find it a bit funky tasting. Hence why you might have a half eaten jar sitting in the back of your fridge.
Kimchi is healthy for a few different reasons:
It's fermented which means it's packed with probiotics which are healing to the gut
It's made with nutritious veggies
The spices aid in digestion as well
Plus, once you get used to the taste, it's pretty freaking delicious!
How to Make Fried Quinoa
Making fried quinoa is actually really simple. You're essentially just sauteeing cooked quinoa with whatever other ingredients you want so it gets a little crispy. As long as you've got cooked and cooled quinoa, this won't take any more than 7 – 8 minutes to cook.
What's great about quinoa is, similar to rice, that it's got a pretty plain flavor. That means no matter what you put with it, it will soak it all up.
For this recipe, we're keeping things on the Asian-inspired path and using toasted sesame oil for cooking and wheat-free tamari to add some umami flavor. The, of course, we've got the kimchi and some fresh green onions to finish things off.
A Healthy 5-Ingredient Recipe
Since I know how much you adore simple recipes – especially recipes that use 5 ingredients or less! – I wanted to keep this one as straightforward as possible. So we really are just using 5 simple ingredients:
Cooked quinoa: you need to make sure that the quinoa has had time to cool before you cook it again or else it will get sticky and gloopy
Toasted sesame oil: adds a really nice nuttiness to the recipe, while also helping it get crispy
Kimchi: you can choose any variety you'd like, but make sure it's vegan if you are following a vegan diet!
Green onions: they add some bite and some crunch, while also helping to brighten things up
Wheat-free tamari: my favorite way to salt Asian-inspired recipes!
And in less than 10 minutes, it will be d-o-n-e!
Ways to Serve Kimchi Fried Quinoa
I personally love this dish on its own, but as I mentioned earlier, it also makes a fabulous side dish. Since we are using Asian-inspired ingredients, I would recommend pairing it with other dishes/ingredients that are typical to those types of cuisines.
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this kimchi fried quinoa:
As the base for our sesame tofu meal prep bowls
Topped with a little sauteed spinach and a fried/poached egg
Under our vegan green curry instead of the forbidden rice
With our rainbow vegetable stir fry
Mixed into our vegan quinoa sushi bowls
Or again, just as a simple side dish!
More Quick & Easy Quinoa Recipes
5-ingredient Lemon Turmeric Quinoa
10-Minute Moroccan Quinoa Salad
5-ingredient Quinoa Pizza Crust
Cilantro Lime Black Bean Quinoa Tacos
Kimchi Fried Quinoa
4.4 from 7 votes
This easy kimchi fried quinoa recipe uses just 5 ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes. It's a perfect side dish or base for stir fry!
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once hot add the quinoa, kimchi and 2/3 of the green onions (reserve some for garnishing). Saute for 3 minutes until the quinoa starts to brown and add in the tamari. Cook for another 3 - 4 minutes, then divide between bowls and enjoy.
Strong flavors like onions or spices work too. In a soup, you can add spices and other flavors like celery, carrot, etc. We make an amazing fried quinoa recipe that includes lots of green and white onions, which covers up the flavor of the quinoa. It tastes much better than if we'd cooked it in plain water.
How to cook quinoa perfectly every time. You'll need about 50g of quinoa per person (make sure to rinse it first) and chicken or vegetable stock. We can't emphasise using stock enough. It really makes a difference to the flavour, yet is subtle enough not to distract from your final dish.
Quinoa seems like it should be a grain, but it's actually a dried seed. The quinoa plant is native to South America, and the seeds from it are harvested, dried, and then cooked by people like you and me!
Once you've made a batch of quinoa, you have endless options for using it. Make it the base of your next grain bowl, toss it into a salad, or stuff it into squash or sweet potatoes. It's also at home in soups & wraps, and it pairs nicely with sweet flavors as well as savory.
The fiber in quinoa can also help with cholesterol and blood sugar levels, lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Quinoa is rich in antioxidants, which can prevent damage to your heart and other organs. A diet high in antioxidants has been linked with a decreased risk of heart disease.
Quinoa is rich in both fiber and protein, contains a much higher amount of other nutrients, and has a similar fluffy texture to the rice. A cup of quinoa contains twice more protein and about 5 g more fiber than white rice. Quinoa contains fewer calories and carbohydrates than white rice.
And it's a good source of protein and fiber, to boot. Like rice, quinoa grows in size as it cooks; culinary and health experts alike tend to agree that 1/4 cup of uncooked quinoa is enough for one person.
Now that your quinoa is rinsed or toasted, it's time to cook it. For 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, you'll want to use 2 cups of water—this will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the temperature to medium-low and pop the lid on securely.
You can eat one-two cups of cooked quinoa in a day. You should avoid eating it if you experience stomachache, itchiness or vomiting after consuming it. A study by Harvard Public School of Health has reported that eating a bowl of quinoa daily is healthy and without any side effects.
The carbs in quinoa consist mainly of starch, insoluble fibers, and small amounts of sugar and resistant starch. This grain is considered a complete protein and provides 2 grams of fat per 3.5 ounces (100 grams).
I find that some of the best seasonings for quinoa are cumin, dried bay leaf, turmeric, and salt, and black pepper. I also love to flavor it with fresh garlic and herbs such as parsley, dill, and cilantro. You can add the seasonings of your choice into the pot at the same time with the liquid and cook it as directed.
If you've never eaten quinoa, Foroutan suggests trying white quinoa first because it has the mildest taste. Or you might look for a blend of red, black, and white quinoa to get as many antioxidants as possible; levels of these beneficial ingredients vary according to the color of the seeds (red has the highest levels).
A study by the Harvard Public School of Health stated that eating a bowl of quinoa daily may reduce the chances of early death risk from cancer, heart disease, respiratory ailments, diabetes, and other chronic diseases by 17%.
How Quinoa Helps In Weight Loss? Rich dietary fibre and protein increase metabolism, and that makes quinoa good for weight loss. Cooked Quinoa contains five grams of dietary fibre per cup. Eating high fibre foods is often the missing piece when a person is trying to shed weight.
Happily, the solution to preventing bitter quinoa is very simple. All you need to do is rinse your uncooked quinoa in cold running water for a minute or so until the water runs clear.
Saponin is also what tastes bitter: rinse away the saponin means rinsing away the bitterness. Clear-running water is an indication that the saponin coating each grain has been fully rinsed away. You can also taste a raw grain or two to make sure you've reached a zero-level bitterness.
Unless you prefer the more pronounced, earthier taste of the seed, I recommend giving it a quick rinse under cool running water, which gets rid of its natural coating that can cause a bitter taste. Even if the box says it is pre-washed, I find it doesn't hurt to give the quinoa another rinse.
Whilst quinoa may well be considered on-trend, it is still far too often underestimated. Quinoa can be used for everything from a complete hot dish to a quick cold recipe! As a pioneer of the sacred seed, Priméal reveals all the grain's secrets for a healthier diet.
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