Tasty, Tangy, Tandoori Quinoa!

The ‘gold of the Incas’, the super food, the hidden powerhouse nutritional superstar, terrific substitute for rice, versatile enough to make muffins, fritters, cookies, salads, snacks and breakfast casseroles – the humble and all encompassing Quinoa! Here in yet another new avatar – Tandoori Quinoa!

This super food that is available in red, black and white grains can be cooked the same way as rice and has several health benefits with its protein content. Here we present the One Pot Tandoori Quinoa.

Though the term ‘tandoori’ is used here, you don’t actually need to use the tandoor here. It is the flavors of the dish that take inspiration from tandoori masala, which is a curry paste made of garam masala, pepper, garlic, ginger and onion.

Tasty, easy-to-make, healthy and nutritious; this recipe with everything cooked in one dish will tickle your palate and satisfy your hunger too; with the tandoori spices highlighted with chickpeas, tomatoes and fresh lime.

What you need to make this yummy dish:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil or plain oil
• 1 cup sweet potatoes (diced)
• 1/2 onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 green chillies (minced)
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger (minced)
• 2 tbsp. garam masala
• 1/4 tsp. chilli powder
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (washed)
• 1 and 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 and 1/2 cups chickpeas (cooked)
• 1 and 1/2 cups tomatoes (diced)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• fresh lime juice
• fresh coriander for garnish (chopped)

Five easy steps to make the yummy dish:

• Take a large pan or dish and heat olive oil in medium heat. Once the oil heats up, add sweet potatoes and stir. Cook them until they are soft and cooked.
• Now add onions and cook until the onions are translucent; then add garlic, chillies, ginger and cook for a few minutes. Now add garam masala and chilli powder and mix the mixture well.
• The mixture is now ready for the quinoa, vegetable broth, chickpeas and tomatoes. Mix it well and bring it to a boil, then let it sit for a while on low flame.
• Cook the quinoa and sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes or so or until your preferred consistency. Add more water if you feel there is less water. Next, you can add salt and pepper to taste.
• The yummy dish is ready to be served with a squeeze of fresh lime and a garnish of chopped coriander.

You could try this dish with any type of quinoa and any other vegetables too. Same goes with the garam masala and chilli powder, you can add them as per your taste and spice levels. This dish roughly takes about half-hour to make, which would make it easy to make anytime.

This One Pot Tandoori Quinoa can be a stand-alone meal by itself or be served with a few sautéed vegetables and soup on the side. Enjoy this tasty dish!