January is the month of motivation. Starting with a fresh organiser, making a list of goals and resolutions, wanting to eat healthier and spend more responsibly etc. All in all, it is the month where we start the year with the intention to take control of our lives and make 2016 a better year than the last!
I was pretty happy with my progress of meal planning last year. I did not discuss much on this blog because it was still at the stage of trial and error. With that being said, I have found my rhythm towards the second half of last year.
I love making fried rice in bulk as part of my meal preparation for the week. I find it holds well with time. It is a versatile dish that you can make with a lot of ingredients you have on hand. A big plus is also I am obsessed with fried rice. A dish I can eat at any time of the day and for weeks ha!
Every now and then, I’d like to substitute rice with other ingredients; usually it is either couscous or quinoa. I prefer the latter if I were to add into stir-fry dishes as it has larger grain size and more of a bite than couscous. A good stir-fry dish with quinoa is definitely quinoa “fried” rice. You simply substitute rice with quinoa and make the fried rice as how you would usually.
I’ve making a lot of curries lately so I’ve decided to make curry quinoa fried rice to compliment my curry dishes. If you don’t have curries as accompaniment, don’t worry, it is just as tasty own its own! 🙂 Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- Cooking oil
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 200g (7 ounces) pre-sliced button mushrooms
- 2 - 3 Tbsps curry paste* (to taste)
- 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables, thawed
- Soy sauce to taste
- Fresh chilli
- Chopped coriander
- Asian fried shallots
- Lime wedges
- Cucumber
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to the packet instructions. For me, I add a cup of quinoa and 2 cups of hot water into a pot. Cook on high heat until the water is boiling, reduce the heat seating to low until the water is simmering, stirring twice. Cook for 20 to25 minutes until 90% of the water is absorbed, stirring once. Turn off the stove and allow to the quinoa to rest in the pot for another 10 to 15 minutes, covered. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a large stir fry pan. When the oil is hot, add the egg mixture to make an omelette. Break the omelette with a spatula into smaller pieces and set aside on a plate.
- Add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil into the same pan. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and saute over medium flame until it turns slightly golden brown.
- Add chopped garlic and saute for a few seconds until aromatic. Add sliced mushrooms and cook on high heat until you see golden brown on the edges of the mushrooms.
- Reduce the heat setting to lowest possible, stir in curry paste and mix with the mushroom mixture until well combined. Saute for about 5 seconds to “wake up the spices. Depending on the pan you use, you may add a tablespoon of water if the mixture starts to stick to the pan.
- Still on the lowest heat setting, return the omelette and quinoa to the pan and mix all the ingredients together. Season with light soy sauce
- Turn the flame to high and cook the fried rice until for another 10 to 15 seconds and the quinoa fried rice is ready to serve.
- To serve, garnish and serve immediately.
Notes
* Curry paste I used was Pataks Korma Paste.
I am so trying this! I went hard on quinoa for a while and my kids are so sick of it but I reckon they would love it served in the style of fried rice.
Just started following you on Pinterest, BTW 🙂