Quinoa offers a great complete meal option for plant-based recipes. It can absorb any flavor mixed with it and lends a slightly nutty taste to the finished product. I always like to soak the quinoa for a few hours then drain and roast for 10 minutes in a dry pan. The roasting ensures it does not get clumpy or soggy.
This version of the quinoa is made with Thai style seasonings with a green curry paste, sesame seeds, bok choy and thai basil (quite different from the Italian basil). I like eating this dish with the onion chili crunch condiment from Trader Joe's.
Use extra firm tofu or (paneer), any other tofu tends to disintegrate in the cooking process.
Ingredients
| Mild | Medium | Spicy | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | cups quinoa |
| 1 | 1.5 | 2 | tablespoons oil |
| 1 | 1.5 | 2 | tablespoons ginger-garlic paste |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | lime leaves |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | stalk lemon grass |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | cup chopped onions |
| 5-6 | 5-6 | 5-6 | chopped baby bok choy |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 oz. block of Extra Firm Tofu |
| 1 - 2 | 1 - 2 | 1 - 2 | teaspoons lemon or lime juice |
| 1 - 2 | 1 - 2 | 1 - 2 | teaspoons mixed sesame seeds |
| 1/2 | 1 | 1.5 | teaspoons green curry paste |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | teaspoons salt |
| 1/4 | 1/2 | 3/4 | cup chopped herbs (thai basil) |
- Soak the quinoa for a few hours and drain thoroughly.
- Heat a flat-bottomed pan and toss the quinoa to roast for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes light brown. Once roasted, add double the amount of water, salt and bring to boil. Stir thoroughly, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes on a medium flame. Turn the heat off and keep it covered for another 15 minutes without opening the lid. Fluff with fork after 15 minutes,
- Heat oil in a large pan and add the ginger-garlic paste. I like to add a small amount of sesame oil mixed in with any other cooking oil. Stir the paste for a minute or two and add the chopped onions and curry paste. If the curry paste is too spicy, you can leave it out and add crushed black pepper later.
- Cook for about 10 -15 minutes until the ginger garlic paste is cooked and onions are translucent.
- Chop the lemon grass into 1-inch-long pieces and bruise it with knife, add to the onions along with lime leaves. Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes. If lime leaves and lemon grass are difficult to procure, add lemon or lime zest and some extra lime or lemon juice.
- Drain and chop the extra firm tofu into small cubes and add to the pot (you can always cook the chopped tofu in the air fryer for a 5-10 minutes before adding here)
- Add the bok choy after five minutes and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes.
- Mix everything and add the cooked quinoa and chopped thai basil.
- Check seasonings for salt and lime/lemon juice.
ALTERNATIVES
| Grain | Vegetables | Protein | Herbs |
| Quinoa | Bok choy | Tofu | Thai basil |
| Rice | Peas | Paneer | Cilantro |
| Brown Rice | Spinach | Grilled Chicken | Mint |
| Wild Rice | Gai lan | Eggs | |
| Millets | Snow Peas | ||
| Snap Peas |
Notes
- This recipe is great with any type of rice as well. Cooking the grains and cooling it completely works better.
- Use left over takeout rice and vegetables hanging out in the crisper for a quicker meal. Tofu can be replaced with any cooked chicken or eggs or leftover protein.
- Since there are few ingredients in this recipe, do not skimp on the fresh herbs. Add fresh cilantro or parsley at the end before serving.
- Any greens can be used in place of bok choy, or you can use 2 cups of chopped mixed vegetables.
Recipe Type