Creamy Thai Quinoa

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What’s cool about quinoa is it is not a one-hit-wonder. You can add just about any spice or liquids for it to absorb, and it morphs into a wonderful, healthful dish, full of flavor.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4-6

Quinoa isn’t something I grew up with at all. I may be wrong, but it seems it’s grown in popularity just over the past 10 years or so. Even the first few quinoa dishes I tried were very bland. That was a bit of a turnoff for me. I had to do some research to find that this wonderful grain has so much more potential than I realized.

Even though some people steer away from it because of low carb diets, there are still health benefits to enjoy. Quinoa is a high-protein (15% protein), low-fat grain option. It’s also naturally gluten-free, high in fiber, and provides many key vitamins and minerals, including magnesium (everydayhealth.com). A cup of quinoa contains twice as much protein and about 5 g more fiber than white rice, not to mention fewer calories and carbohydrates (medicinenet.com).

What’s cool about quinoa is it is not a one-hit-wonder. You can add just about any other spices or liquids for it to absorb, and it morphs into a wonderful, healthful dish, full of flavor.

We enjoy Thai food at our house, usually, something homemade whipped up from spices I had to go searching for in bigger cities or online. But, it’s worth the adventure to put something delicious on the table. The coconut milk in this recipe produces a creaminess instead of fluffy quinoa you may be familiar with.

Check out my Tex-Mex Quinoa if you enjoy recipes like this!

Creamy Thai Quinoa

Pantry To Table
Coconut milk creates a creaminess and flavors of lemongrass, fish sauce, and red curry elevate quinoa into a Thai-inspired dish.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4
Calories 199 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa, red or blended/trio
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, lower sodium
  • 1 serrano, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste, see Notes
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon red curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn by hand

Instructions
 

  • If your quinoa doesn’t come pre-rinsed, place it in a fine-mesh sieve and run underwater through it until the water runs clear.
  • Place coconut milk and stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  • Add remaining ingredients, except basil. Cook quinoa until most liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir and taste for salt and add if desired.
  • Pour quinoa into a serving bowl and gently stir in basil. Serve.

Notes

You could use shrimp stock or vegetable stock in this recipe. Whichever you use, I would use a low-sodium.  You can always add more salt.
Make this baby as hot as you want, adding more serranos or hotter peppers such as habaneros.
Fresh lemongrass can be used if you’re fortunate enough to live near a store that sells it or you know someone who grows it! The tube is fine here. It is found in the refrigerated section in your produce department in your grocery store. I actually used the tube in this recipe because of what’s available locally.
I came up with this recipe because I wanted to use up some half-used red curry pastes in my refrigerator and a bottle of powder in my pantry that I can’t remember why I bought it… ever do that?
Go easy on the salt. There’s a lot of salt in the fish sauce alone. 
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Thai Quinoa
Amount per Serving
Calories
199
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword quinoa, Thai, side dish, lemongrass, red curry paste, fish sauce
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