Recipe for Quinoa Pulao with Loaded Vegetables. This is a vegan and a gluten free recipe. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.
This pulao made with quinoa is a total winner. Apart from its nutritional and health benefits, its so very delicious. I have made the quinoa pulao today in a pressure cooker. The same can be made in an instant pot too. Whatever you may be following – Counting calories, weight loss, healthy eating – this recipe is for you. Since the pulao is loaded with vegetables, you can enjoy your meal guilt free. I have used coconut milk for making the pulao a little rich. You can omit it if you do not want to use it and substitute it with vegetable stock or just plain water.
Here are things you can buy online for making this recipe Quinoa 5 Liter Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Heavy Duty Indian Mixie
Here is the video of how to make Quinoa Pulao
Here is the recipe for making Quinoa Pulao There are different varieties of quinoa available in the market. I have used the white quinoa variety for making the pulao. Wash and soak the quinoa just before starting to cook.
Add all the ingredients listed under masala paste to a small mixie. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Set aside. While grinding, adjust the number of green chillies according to your taste. Green chillies are the only spice used for heat. So adjust accordingly.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the bay leaves and star anise. Roast in oil for a few seconds till it becomes aromatic.
Add in the finely chopped onions and the salt. Saute till the onions are soft and starting to brown.
Add in the tomatoes and the masala paste. Cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
Add in the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for a minute till the leaves are wilted.
Add in the veggies of your choice. I have loaded the pulao with about four cups of vegetables. You can add less if you prefer it that way. I like to add a lot of vegetables to my Quinoa Pulao. I have used vegetables like mushrooms, carrot, beans, green peas, sweet corn, potatoes and chayote (chow chow) today. The kind of vegetables you add and the amount of vegetables you add is totally upto you. Add in the coconut milk and water. We need a total of about 2.5 cups of liquid for the recipe. I have used 1.5 cups of quinoa today.
Add in the lime juice. Let the mixture come to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add in the drained quinoa.
Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Approximately about 7-8 minutes on medium flame. After the time, remove from heat and allow the pressure to settle. Wait for about 20 minutes before opening.
Healthy and wholesome quinoa pulao loaded with vegetables is ready. You do not require anything else. This itself is a one pot complete meal. If you are feeling fancy, you can fry up some eggs and serve on the side.
For the Masala Paste for Quinoa Pulao
2 cloves 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 cardamom 1/2 inch cinnamon 1 pod garlic 1 inch piece ginger 3 green chillies 1/4 cup water
Other Ingredients for Quinoa Pulao
1.5 cups quinoa 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 bay leaves 1 star anise 1 cup onions finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped 4 cups mixed vegetables 1 cup coconut milk 1.5 cups water 1 lime – juiced
Wash and soak the quinoa just before starting to cook.
Add all the ingredients listed under masala paste to a small mixie. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the bay leaves and star anise. Roast in oil for a few seconds till it becomes aromatic. Add in the finely chopped onions and the salt. Saute till the onions are soft and starting to brown. Add in the tomatoes and the masala paste. Cook until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for a minute till the leaves are wilted.
Add in the veggies of your choice. I have loaded the pulao with about four cups of vegetables. You can add less if you prefer it that way. Add in the coconut milk and water. We need a total of about 2.5 cups of liquid for the recipe. I have used 1.5 cups of quinoa.
Add in the lime juice. Let the mixture come to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add in the drained quinoa. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Approximately about 7-8 minutes on medium flame. After the time, remove from heat and allow the pressure to settle. Wait for about 20 minutes before opening.
Healthy and wholesome quinoa pulao loaded with vegetables is ready. You do not require anything else. This itself is a one pot complete meal. If you are feeling fancy, you can fry up some eggs and serve on the side.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 30m
For the Masala Paste for Quinoa Pulao
2 cloves 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 cardamom 1/2 inch cinnamon 1 pod garlic 1 inch piece ginger 3 green chillies 1/4 cup water
Other Ingredients for Quinoa Pulao
1.5 cups quinoa 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 bay leaves 1 star anise 1 cup onions finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped 4 cups mixed vegetables 1 cup coconut milk 1.5 cups water 1 lime – juiced
Wash and soak the quinoa just before starting to cook.
Add all the ingredients listed under masala paste to a small mixie. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the bay leaves and star anise. Roast in oil for a few seconds till it becomes aromatic. Add in the finely chopped onions and the salt. Saute till the onions are soft and starting to brown. Add in the tomatoes and the masala paste. Cook until the tomatoes are mushy. Add in the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for a minute till the leaves are wilted.
Add in the veggies of your choice. I have loaded the pulao with about four cups of vegetables. You can add less if you prefer it that way. Add in the coconut milk and water. We need a total of about 2.5 cups of liquid for the recipe. I have used 1.5 cups of quinoa.
Add in the lime juice. Let the mixture come to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add in the drained quinoa. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Approximately about 7-8 minutes on medium flame. After the time, remove from heat and allow the pressure to settle. Wait for about 20 minutes before opening.
Healthy and wholesome quinoa pulao loaded with vegetables is ready. You do not require anything else. This itself is a one pot complete meal. If you are feeling fancy, you can fry up some eggs and serve on the side.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 30m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/quinoa-pulao/
Kovakkai Thogayal Recipe for Rice – Ivy Gourd Chutney. Easy and tasty thogayal recipe made with roasted Ivy Gourd. Recipe with step by step pictures and video.
Here are tools and ingredients you can buy online for making this recipe Heavy Duty Indian Mixie Granite Saute Pan
Here is the video of how to make Kovakkai Thogayal for Rice – Ivy Gourd Chutney
Here is how to make Kovakkai Thogayal for Rice – Ivy Gourd Chutney Prep the Kovakkai / Ivy Gourd When purchasing kovakkai make sure its not very ripe. Ripe kovakkai tastes very sour. There are various folklore tales which say that ripe kovakkai is poisonous. But I have cooked it at times and I have survived to tell this story. So nothing is going to happen if you consume ripe kovakkai. But its not going to be very tasty and you might need a Gelusil or Tums later. So try avoiding the ripe ones. The ripe ones will be bright orange in colour inside. Discard those. If its light orange, its ok. You can use in the recipe.
Wash and prep the kovakkai. Remove the tops and slice each kovakkai into four.
We will be using Indian sesame oil / Nalla Ennai for making this recipe. Roast the kovakkai in a teaspoon of oil until the skin is slightly charred here and there. It will take about 7-8 minutes. Remove the roasted kovakkai to a plate. Set aside to cool.
In the same pan, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add in the cumin seeds, toor dal, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and tamarind. Saute on a low flame. Chillies will fluff up in a few seconds. Remove the fluffed up chillies to a plate. Continue to roast the lentils till the lentils are golden. Once the lentils are golden, remove the mixture to a plate.
In the same pan, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add in the sliced Indian shallots / sambar onions and the country garlic. If you cannot get country garlic, regular garlic can also be used. Country garlic cloves are very small and flavourful. Roast the shallots and garlic till the garlic is nice and golden.
Add in a country tomato and saute for a few minutes till the tomatoes are mushy. Add in the salt, jaggery and asafoetida. Saute for a minute. Finally add in the fresh shredded coconut and saute for a minute more. Remove the mixture and set aside to cool.
Grind everything to a paste. Grind to a coarse texture. Do not add any water while grinding the chutney / thogayal.
Tempering the Kovakkai Thogayal
Heat oil in a small kadai and add in the garlic cloves. Roast the garlic cloves till golden. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and gundu chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Add the tempering to the chutney / thogayal.
Serve the kovakkai thogayal with rice. The thogayal can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Main Ingredients for Kovakkai Thogayal
3 teaspoon Indian sesame oil (divided) 500 grams Kovakkai / Ivy Gourd 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 tablespoon toor dal 2 tablespoon urad dal 4 dried red chillies 1 sprig curry leaves 1/2 gooseberry sized tamarind 1/3 cup sliced Indian shallots 2 pods country garlic 1 tomato, diced 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon jaggery 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida 1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut
Tempering Kovakkai Thogayal
2 teaspoon Indian sesame oil 10 cloves country garlic 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves 3 gundu chillies
Wash and prep the kovakkai. Remove the tops and slice each kovakkai into four.
Roast the kovakkai in a teaspoon of oil until the skin is slightly charred here and there. It will take about 7-8 minutes. Remove the roasted kovakkai to a plate. Set aside to cool.
In the same pan, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add in the cumin seeds, toor dal, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and tamarind. Saute on a low flame. Chillies will fluff up in a few seconds. Remove the fluffed up chillies to a plate. Continue to roast the lentils till the lentils are golden. Once the lentils are golden, remove the mixture to a plate.
In the same pan, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add in the sliced Indian shallots / sambar onions and the country garlic. Roast the shallots and garlic till the garlic is nice and golden.
Add in a country tomato and sauté for a few minutes till the tomatoes are mushy. Add in the salt, jaggery and asafoetida. Saute for a minute. Finally add in the fresh shredded coconut and sauté for a minute more. Remove the mixture and set aside to cool.
Grind everything to a paste. Grind to a coarse texture. Do not add any water while grinding the chutney / thogayal.
Tempering the Kovakkai Thogayal
Heat oil in a small kadai and add in the garlic cloves. Roast the garlic cloves till golden. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and gundu chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Add the tempering to the chutney / thogayal. Serve the kovakkai thogayal with rice. The thogayal can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
