red quinoa, organic

quinoa has been so popular these years...
never got a chance to try them...
now finally have a taste of it...
expect it to be like rice...
that's what web info suggested...

choose to try red quinoa coz I'd like to add colour
wanna have the phytonutrients of red food...
also prefer a firmer texture grains...
learnt from web that white quinoa will tend to be more mushy...






got two brands of organic red quinoa...
one is from the supreme 極尚一品...
the other is from green dot dot...

gotta have a mini taste test...





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organic red quinoa,
the supreme
@2019 may08

the inner vacuum pack is deformed...
thus the bag of quinoa becomes a bit soft...
maybe air goes in... dunno if it affects quality...
 opening up the vacuum package smells pungent n peppery...
a bit scary to me...

 package instructions said rinse is needed...
but they're real tiny seeds...
juz cant think of a good way to it...
being lazy n juz wash them in the vacuum bag...

 once pop into the water it kinda smells sweet...
the sweetness is like boiling pasta...
somehow also like chinese medicine...
lots of bubbles formed...

 boiling for abt 15 mins...
in case it's not fluffy enough... 

 the quinoa keep swelling up even after removing from heat...
sitting for 5 mins then more quinoa rise above water surface...
it's either they're absorbing the water or the water decreases thru the vapors ...

 puff up into this state...
think it's kinda over done...
taste is not as strong as the smell...
juz a bit plain n a bit crunchy... 

 it would be real hard to find the black seeds after boiling...
but keep looking for them and remove them...
coz it should be some bad seeds...

 yet the c shape sprouts are easily found...
they juz float on top...

the pot of quinoa after 15 mins keep drying up the water...









result of first experience...
quinoa juz not of my preference...
quick cook is a good point...
but it's hard to rinse...
also it's not that satisfying mouthfeel...
n the taste is unappealing... plain n a bit peppery...
juz wont make me wanted to keep munching on...
prefer to have some beans instead... better mouthfeel n taste... less effort on washing...

however two factors to be considered...
1. it's a loosened vacuum pack which might be affecting the quality...
2. didn't rinse it well b4 cooking... toxins may be present n thus making me feel bad...


web info suggested problems with unwashed quinoa...
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/how-to-rinse-quinoa/

https://skillet.lifehacker.com/why-you-should-wash-quinoa-before-cooking-1789192609













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organic red quinoa,
green dot dot
@2019 may09

vacuum package no damage this time...
a hard bag of seeds...

opening smells same peppery...
should give it a good rinse...
gotta remove impurities and saponins coating...

 messy doing rinse job...
maybe wasted 100g of quinoa seeds... 

looks the same when boiling...
with lots of  bubbles formed...
but smells less herbal n more sweet... 

yet water looks more cloudy... 

still go on boiling for 10 mins... 

not including the soaking time when rinsing...
also not including the soaking in hot water when I'm slowly adding washed quinoa in spoonfuls... 

 more time after boiling left unmoved...
same water absorbing ability...

 the water kinda taste salty...
kernels looks a bit more mushy...
but the crunchy feel is similar... 

this time after rinsing clearly taste more plesant..

everything tastes more mild... 

this time more black seeds... harder to skip...
juz think maybe they're some black quinoa...

same story for seeing so many c-shape sprouts...

soooooo many c-shape sprouts floating...
it's like having abc soup with many letter C... lol...

trying to skip the darker n black seeds...
somehow their colour is not that distinctive...
some would be dark red which fades between black n red...










though quinoa after washing tasted mild...
its easier to keep munching on...
still cant finish all...
juz so filling are they...






same comment...
good for the quick n short cooking time...
bad that rinsing is difficult n messy...
preparing time will be still time consuming including rinsing time...
after cooking ...
even it taste fine after washing...
juz not any better than the mouthfeel of beans...
btw hate that black seeds appearing within...
hard to skip them...

personally not prefer having quinoa...
juz think of it as a functional nutritious food...
also no good for bulking as its too filling...







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result...

think that two brands of organic red quinoa make no difference...
both are from Peru
they got the same texture
except I did wash one of them making it less pungent n taste milder...
believe that it would do the same if have washed the other...

only a point to note is that quinoa from green dot dot comes with more black seeds...
dunno if they're juz black quinoa or some bad seeds...






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