Simple and tasty Indian style lemon Quinoa flavored with mustard seeds, curry leaves, lemon, ginger and green chili.
Nutty, lemony and crunchy this instant pot lemon quinoa will sure become your favorite way of enjoying quinoa.
Quinoa is considered super food for all its health benefits. Do you know that quinoa is a seed not a grain? But they are cooked and enjoyed as you would with any grain.
Just like rice, Quinoa is extremely versatile and can blend with any kind of flavors. Lemon and Quinoa is a great combination and today I am sharing South Indian style Lemon Quinoa.
This recipe is a healthy spin to the traditionally lemon rice, we are replacing rice with quinoa. In addition to the typical lemon rice ingredients I have also added onion, carrot and green peas to this dish. Addition of these ingredients truly elevates the taste and flavor of lemon quinoa.
We can make lemon quinoa in two different ways in the instant pot.
Method 1- We can do the tempering and cook the quinoa with the tempering.
Method 2- Make the quinoa in the instant pot and do the tempering separately and add the cooked quinoa to it.
Which method to use? If you want it quick and easy, try the first method. But if you have some left over quinoa and also like the dals crunchy, choose method 2.
This lemon quinoa
- can be served at room temperature
- is a tasty one pot dish made in the instant pot
- its vegan and can be made gluten free by skipping asafoetida
- perfect recipe to enjoy for breakfast, lunch or for travel
Ingredients needed :
Step by Step instructions:
1- Add quinoa in a large bowl and add plenty of water. Wash them thoroughly by rubbing with your hand. Repeat this step about 3 times. This will help remove any bitterness from the quinoa. Using a strainer drain all the water.
2- Press the saute button on your instant pot and add oil. Now add mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the chana dal, urad dal and cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add curry leaves, green chili and ginger and saute for another 30 seconds.
3 – Add the thinly sliced onion and saute for two minutes. Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida and give a quick mix.
4 – Add the grated carrot and frozen green peas and coat with the onion mixture.
5 & 6 – Cancel the saute mode and add the rinsed quinoa, water and salt. Mix well. Scrape the bottom and mix everything making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for salt and adjust.
7 –– Press the manual or pressure cooker mode and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Release the pressure naturally. You will observe that the quinoa is little wet. That’s ok…. fluff the quinoa, close the lid and let it rest for fifteen minutes. As the quinoa rests, it will absorb all the moisture. This will ensures that quinoa does not dry even after few hours of making it.
But if you still feel the quinoa is still wet, just saute for couple of minutes to remove the excess moisture.
8 – Once the quinoa cools, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, coriander leaves, toasted peanuts. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Lemon Quinoa is ready to relish.
What can I replace quinoa with?
Quinoa can be replaced with white rice, brown rice or millets. If using brown rice, use method 2 where we cook the brown rice separate and add it to the tempering.
What can I serve it with?
Lemon quinoa can be enjoyed plain or serve with some salad or plain yogurt and pickle.
If you are looking for more quinoa recipes, then do try my Instant Pot Quinoa Upma and Mixed Veggies Quinoa Brown rice Cutlets.
Few Quick & Easy Dinner Recipes-
Easy Spaghetti with rao’s sauce
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Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa (South Indian Style)
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained 185 grams
- ⅓ cup lima beans or green peas I used frozen
- ⅓ cup grated carrot use the large holes to grate it
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced onion (optional)
- 2-3 green chili, sliced or finely chop it to make it more spicy
- 1.5 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 12 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 2.5 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
- 1.5 cups water 355 ml
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- Add quinoa in a large bowl and add plenty of water. Wash them thoroughly by rubbing with your hand. Repeat this step about 3 times. This will help remove any bitterness from the quinoa. Using a strainer drain all the water.
Instant Pot Method –
- Press the saute button on your instant pot and add oil. Now add mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the chana dal, urad dal and cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add curry leaves, green chili and ginger and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add the thinly sliced onion and saute for two minutes. Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida and give a quick mix.
- Add the grated carrot and frozen green peas and coat with the onion mixture.
- Cancel the saute mode and add the rinsed quinoa, water and salt. Mix well. Scrape the bottom and mix everything making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for salt and adjust.
- Press the manual or pressure cooker mode and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Release the pressure naturally. You will observe that the quinoa is little wet. That’s ok…. fluff the quinoa, close the lid and let it rest for fifteen minutes. As the quinoa rests, it will absorb all the moisture. This step will ensures that quinoa does not dry even after few hours of making it.
- But if you still feel the quinoa is still wet, just saute for couple of minutes to remove the excess moisture.
- Once the quinoa cools, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, coriander leaves, toasted peanuts. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Stove Top method –
- Cook the quinoa in the instant pot or stove top. If cooking in the instant pot add the rinsed quinoa and water and cook for 2 minutes in the manual mode. Let the pressure release naturally. Fluff the quinoa and use it in the recipe.
- To cook quinoa on the stove top, add 1 cup of rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water to a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and cook the quinoa for 10-15 minutes till all the moisture is absorbed. Rest for few minutes and gently fluff the quinoa.
- To make the lemon quinoa- heat oil in to a wide pan. Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add chana dal,urad dal and cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add green chili and ginger and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add the thinly sliced onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until they turn light brown.
- Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida and give a quick mix.
- Add the grated carrot and green peas or lima beans and coat with the onion mixture.
- Cook for five minutes in low-medium flame.
- Add the cooked quinoa and salt. Mix everything it well incorporated.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, roasted peanuts and coriander leaves.
- Mix and check for seasoning.
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