May 12, 2020

Crispy Sesame Spiced Tahini Quinoa

I eat a lot of grains, and they are most commonly cooked in water, and served up underneath a bed of greens or with a topping of tofu. But grains don’t need to always be that not super interesting supporting character- you can give them a little personality and let them shine! This tahini quinoa brings together sesame flavors with Indian spices, and adds a crunchy, crispy texture to your pot of quinoa. Sure, I still served it with greens, but this time the quinoa bites were the ones I was most excited for. So if you’re looking for a crispy, nutty, spiced, flavorful, sort of sweet, sort of spicy, textured experience, try out this sesame spiced tahini quinoa- you won’t go back!

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A Little Side of Quinoa Pre-History

I’d had quinoa in the bottom of Buddha bowls before, but I really learned more about it in college. Firstly, I learned I’d been saying it wrong for years- in American we often pronounce it like “Keen-wah”, but really there’s a whole other syllable in there, closer to “kee-no-ah”. Quinoa was cultivated up in the Andes, and is a Quechuan word- a language that is still spoken by some people living in that region of Peru. I learned all about quinoa in a class I took for my minor, Andean pre-history, where we learned about the various groups that had occupied that region- the Chavin and the Nazca, all the way up to the relativity modern Inca. And at some point on those sloped, terraced fields, wild quinoa was first domesticated. Over thousands of years, it fed the people living in the Peruvian mountains, and was used in daily life and religious ceremonies. And there it remained, relatively unknown to the world until 10-20 years ago, when the rest of the world discovered the highly nutritious seeds that had been quietly growing over the Andes for thousands of years.

Seeking Sides? Try one of these vegan side dishes!

Making Crispy Spiced Tahini Quinoa

It’s all about cooking the quinoa twice- to start, you need a pot of freshly cooked quinoa. This can be done by simmering 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water, for about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Once you have a pot of quinoa, it’s time to make it crispy. Heat a generous amount of oil in a large skillet- we used 3-4 tablespoons, but you may want a little more or less. Toast your spices, and sauté your onions and garlic. Next it’s time to get to the main event- crispy the quinoa! Let the quinoa cook until it’s crispy on the bottom, then stir, mixing the crispy bits in, and repeat. Continue this process until a large proportion of the quinoa is crispy, and then top with a pre-prepared tahini mixture. Stir it in with the heat off but the pan still warm, so that it absorbs all the moisture. And voila, we’re done!

Crispy Sesame Spiced Tahini Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup dried quinoa
1 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil (or more, if needed)
1 tbsp. brown mustard seeds
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried ginger
1 tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, for spice)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ medium onion, diced

Instructions

Place one cup of quinoa in a small saucepan with water, and cook according to the directions on the box. Once the quinoa is cooked, remove the lid to allow it to dry out a little, and set aside.
While the quinoa is cooking, mix the tahini, sesame oil, maple syrup, and vinegar in a bowl or jar with 2 tbsp. water, and mix or shake to combine. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the mustard and cumin seeds, and cook, stirring, until the seeds start to pop. Add the garam masala, ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion, and cook, stirring, until the onions soften.
Add the cooked quinoa to the skillet, and toss to cover with the spices and oil. Let it cook for a few minutes, and then stir, allowing the quinoa on the bottom of the pan to become crispy each time. It’s okay if some of it burns a little, as long as your getting a good crispy. When the quinoa has reached the desired level of crispiness, pour the tahini mixture over the quinoa. Turn off the heat, and stir until it’s all been well coated and the moisture is absorbed. Serve warm, and enjoy.