The standard way to cook quinoa is to cook in in boiling water.The microwave is used for cooking almost anything these days and quinoa is no exception. This set of instructions will work fine for a medium powered micro oven. Different microwave ovens will need longer or shorter cooking times to get the right results.

Step one

Measure out one cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water. You can use any size of cup as long as you add double the amount of water.

Step two

Rinse the quinoa under cold water for half a minute to remove any impurities.

Step three

Put the water and the quinoa into a microwaveable dish and cover. The next step is to place it in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes approximately. Remove it from your microwave and allow to rest for 1 minute. Mix up the quinoa in the water with a spoon before putting it back into your microwave oven for a second time for three minutes. The quinoa needs to stand on the kitchen counter for 2 or 3 minutes to finish cooking.

The conditions in a microwave oven are different to cooking on the hob and ther may be some water not absorbed. Simply drain this off.

You can now serve and enjoy your quinoa. The only difference I have observed in cooking quinoa in a microwave as opposed to cooking it the standard way is that is expands very slightly more and is a bit softer to the touch. The superb taste of quinoa is still there and it is easily used in all your best recipes.

The simplest thing to do with quinoa is to add it as a side dish to a main meal instead of potatoes, rice or cous cous. Just serve it on the plate instead. The quinoa really works best however in salads and many stir fry dishes. This is where it really comes into its own and prooves to be a versatile addition to your kithcen larder,