Meet the quinoa, South America’s tiny, healthy seed

As I returned from a late-afternoon hike, my husband was lurking about the kitchen, attempting to figure out the dinner plan. He was over by the counter, fingering a grainy substance that looked, at best, like the mixture we put out in the back yard every winter for feathered visitors.

“So, it’s finally happened,” he said. “You’ve resorted to birdseed.”

“Smile when you say that, pardner. You’re talking about quinoa, mother grain of the Incas. The breakfast of Andeans.” Or, as it’s been so fondly referred to in the newsroom since my research began, Quinoa, Trend Gruel Of The Future.

How rude.

Although relatively unknown to most North Americans, this crunchy little seed has been cultivated in the South American Andes since at least 3,000 BC. It went into a 400-year decline during the Spanish conquest, but has gained in popularity again thanks to a renewed respect for indigenous crops and traditional foods.

Then, in 1985, the first North American crop was grown in the Colorado Rockies, where farmers were hoping it would thrive in the semi-arid conditions of the region. It’s a plant that requires cool nights and warm days below 90 degrees to set seed.

It did grow, but several years after the first planting, growers noticed dark seed heads on stalks up to two feet taller than previous years’ crops. The traditional seed had crossed with its native American ancestor, lamb’s-quarters, and formed a hearty hybrid, which is now referred to as black quinoa.

Botanists tell us that quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), is not a true cereal grain. It’s a fruit in the Chenopodium genus, which also includes, as I just mentioned, the common lamb’s-quarters. The plant is an annual, and grows from 3- to 6-feet high, with seeds that form large clusters at the end of the stalk.

Sort of like birdseed, but don’t tell my husband.

From a nutritional standpoint, quinoa is good stuff. Besides having twice the amount of protein found in barley, corn and rice, it is exceptionally high in lysine, an amino acid not usually found in abundance in the vegetable kingdom, so the protein is more complete.

In fact, the World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in quinoa at least equivalent to that in milk. It also offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It’s also a great source of magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and folate.

I could go on and on because quinoa has an interesting history as well as a relatively decent flavor. Not as great as rice, as far as I’m concerned, but perfectly fine, especially if you’re looking for high nutrition and interesting texture.

At any rate, 1 million Inca descendants can’t be wrong. They used to prepare it whole and cooked in soups, as well as ground into flour for bread and biscuits.

Even the water used to rinse away bitter-tasting resin from the seeds was reserved for shampoo.

I wonder how that would go over in our house?

There’s a naturally-occurring substance that coats quinoa seeds called saponin. It’s a resinous, bitter-tasting substance. Most of the quinoa sold in this country has already been cleansed of it, but the seeds should be rinsed thoroughly before cooking to remove any of the powdery residue which would still create an unpleasant experience.

To do so, place the quinoa in a fine strainer and hold it under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain well.

Place the rinsed and drained quinoa into a large skillet over medium heat; cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the quinoa dries and turns golden brown. This will take at least 15 minutes. Pour the toasted quinoa from the pan onto a cookie sheet and let it cool. Use in the following recipes.

Store toasted quinoa in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 month (or refrigerate for several months).

2cups chicken or beef stock

1cup toasted quinoa (as described above)

1/4-1/2teaspoon salt

Bring the broth to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart pan; stir in quinoa and salt. Cover and simmer gently on low heat until liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve, or cool, cover, and chill up to two days.

Makes about 4 cups.

Curry alternative: Add 1 teaspoon curry powder to the cooking liquid.

1/3cup firmly packed chopped bacon

1cup sliced mushrooms

1/3cup finely chopped onion

1cup beef broth

1/2cup toasted quinoa (as described above)

1/3cup shredded carrot

1/3cup finely chopped green pepper

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, lift bacon pieces from pan and set aside.

Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add mushrooms and onion to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid released from the mushrooms cooks away and the mushrooms are golden. Add broth, quinoa, carrots and green pepper; bring to boiling over high heat.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Take off heat, remove lid and let stand 2 minutes.

Stir with a fork to separate grains. Spoon onto serving dish; sprinkle with cooked bacon.

Makes four servings.

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contract her by email at janrd@proaxis.com.