Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein and contains nine essential amino acids which makes it a MUST on my cooking list!! Although it offers a lot of health benefits, it needs a little help with flavors to elevate its taste. Quinoa is a very versatile grain and takes really well to all flavors so for or this recipe, I decided to make a vegetable quinoa pulao using aromatic Indian spices. I am following the same methodology of cooking pulao with basmati rice and applying it to quinoa to achieve the Indian flavors in this pulao dish. The beauty of this dish is that you can customize it as per your taste by adding vegetables of your choice, or even any protein. Paneer, Tofu, Fish, and Chicken are all excellent choices.

Why should I eat quinoa?

As people across the world desired to lead more healthy lives, they started to look at alternatives to grains such as rice and that is when began to gain its popularity. We began to see quinoa on every restaurant’s menu. A lot of restaurants took it a step further and even starting using quinoa flour to prepare gluten-free dessert and bread recipes.

How can I prepare quinoa?

You can prepare this grain on stove-top or using your instant pot. I prefer to cook in my instant pot as I do not have to babysit it and it is a foolproof recipe. It also allows me to use that time to prep for dinner. I always use 1:2 ratio and have never been disappointed with the outcome.

What can I eat it with?

ANYTHING!! I am not kidding when I say this, but this grain truly can be eaten with anything. I have been making quinoa for years and continue to experiment with it. I have prepared it using Asian flavors (like fried rice), middle eastern flavors (think olives, chickpeas, and cheese and parsley) and of course with Indian flavors like this dish, Vegetable quinoa pulao. You can enjoy it in your salads, or use it instead of rice in stuffed peppers. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with whichever way you use to prepare it.

What is a Vegetable Quinoa Pulao?

Traditionally Pulao is a rice dish that is prepared in vegetable stock or water, Indian spices and vegetables or meat. It is a one-pot rice dish and is very popular all over India. I am a big rice lover and enjoy rice at any time of the day, but I also wanted to prepare this dish using quinoa for obvious health benefits but by retaining the Indian flavors that are found in a pulao.

When can I eat this?

This recipe can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a side dish. It is a one-pot meal that you would turn to every week and for busy weeknight dinners, you can prepare your quinoa using an instant pot over the weekend. It is good for up to 3-5 days when refrigerated. I prepare an 8oz pack of quinoa every Sunday and use it during the week in a variety of recipes. For this recipe I have opted to use the red quinoa; however, you can use the white quinoa too. There is no difference in the taste or texture when making the vegetable quinoa pulao.