The 3 steps to cook quinoa in a microwave oven
How to cook quinoa in a microwave
The standard way to cook quinoa is to cook in in boiling water.Instead of cooking in the traditional way you replace this method with doing it in your microwave. I have prepared these instructions using a 700 watt oven. Different microwave ovens will need longer or shorter cooking times to get the right results.
Step one
Measure out one cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water. You can use any size of cup as long as you add double the amount of water.
Step two
Rinse the quinoa under cold water for half a minute to remove any impurities.
Step three
Put the water and the quinoa into a microwaveable dish and cover. Now you cook it in the microwave on high for about three minutes. Allow the quinoa to sit in the dish with the water for about a minute before doing the next step. Gently mix the mixture up a bit and then return it to the micro oven for a second cooking period of 3 minutes. The quinoa needs to stand on the kitchen counter for 2 or 3 minutes to finish cooking.
Because of differences in the types of quinoa and also your model of oven there may be some residue water that you must drain before using the quinoa in your recipe.
Your quinoa is now ready to serve. The only difference I have observed in cooking quinoa in a microwave as opposed to cooking it the standard way is that is expands very slightly more and is a bit softer to the touch. The well known flavour is still evident and quinoa cooked this way can be used in exactly the same way as quinoa cooked in the normal way.
By far the easiest way to put quinoa on your plate is to just serve it as is straight from cooking without any extras. Just serve it on the plate instead. But the best way to use the cooked quinoa is in salads and stir fry dishes. This is where it really comes into its own and prooves to be a versatile addition to your kithcen larder,