How Long To Cook Quinoa (And Why)?

How Long To Cook Quinoa (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 10-20 Minutes

The quinoa is a type of flowering plant which belongs to the amaranth family. The quinoa is a herbaceous annual plant. the annual plants are the plants that are germinated, grown, and harvested in the dame season, and at the end of the season, these plants die. The length of the growing season depends on the geographical area and its climatic condition in the area. They are grown as the primary crops for their edible seeds consumed by humans.

The seeds of quinoa have a high nutritional value like a high content of protein, dietary fiber, vitamin B, and some dietary minerals too in the seeds. These seeds have more nutrition than any other type of grain. The quinoa is a type of no-grass plant, as they are considered pseudocereal. The pseudocereal is non-grass that is used in the same way as cereals. It is originated in some of the regions of northwestern South America.

How Long To Cook Quinoa

How Long To Cook Quinoa?

The seeds of quinoa were firstly used to feed the livestock in the past years about 5,200 to 7,000 years ago. With the passage of time these seeds were consumed by humans also 3,000 to 4,000 years ago in the basin of Lake Titicaca basin of Peru, and Bolivia. The main production of the quinoa seeds is mainly produced in the Andean regions. This harvesting is mainly done by the small farmers and the associations in the Andean regions.

The cultivation of quinoa seeds is done in about 70 countries in the world, and the major ones are Kenya, India, the United States, and several European countries in the world. The production and the consumption of these seeds are increased in the countries of North America, and Europe, and many others. This consumption has increased the prices of these seeds due to high demand.

The quinoa plant is a dicotyledonous plant. The dicotyledonous plants are also known as dicot plants, which means they have seeds that have two cotyledons present. The height of the quinoa plant is about 1-2 meters high above the ground. The leaves arrangement in the plant is in an alternative form. The physical appearance of the leaves is broad in size, powdery, hairy, and lobed.

The central part of the wood can be of green, red, and purple color. The flowering in the plants is done from the top or from the leaf axis along the part of the stem.

MethodDuration
Cooking10-20 Minutes
Steaming5 Minutes.

Why Does It Take That Long To Cook Quinoa?

The nutritional value of the quinoa seeds changes with the state of the seed. In the raw seeds of quinoa, The water content is about 13%, carbohydrate content about 64%, protein content about 14%, and fat content about 6%. The raw seeds of quinoa are a rich course of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamin B content in the item. It also includes folate about 46%, dietary minerals, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus content in them.

The nutritional values changes after boiling the seeds. It water content of the seed becomes about 76%, carbohydrate content for about 21%, protein content for about 4%, and fat content for about 2%. The cooked seeds provide 503 kilojoules of food energy, it is a rich source of phosphorus for about 30%, and manganese for about 22%. They have some moderate minerals like dietary fibers, folate, dietary minerals, iron, zinc, and magnesium content in them.

Conclusion

The seeds of quinoa are gluten-free due to the high concentration of protein, and easy way of use. They can be prepared very easily without any sort of hard work. They are used to control the increased yields in the environment. They are also considered as the experimental crops by NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System especially for human beings for a long duration in space.

These seeds can sometimes cause allergies in some people. The symptoms of the allergy to these seeds are inflammation of the skin, lungs, and digestive tract. It can cause some asthma like symptoms too like wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. They also caused itching, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1537511003001144
  2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02196067
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AboutNidhi

Hi! I'm Nidhi.

Here at the EHL, it's all about delicious, easy recipes for casual entertaining. So come and join me at the beach, relax and enjoy the food.

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