Sometimes, quinoa can be a little boring.
And it’s too bad, because quinoa is so incredibly healthy.
And it can be really flavorful. Like my Peanut Curry Quinoa dish.
Peanut Curry Quinoa
The flavor infusion starts with the vegetable broth that the quinoa is cooked in. Then, you add edamame, shredded carrots, steamed or blanched broccoli, baked tofu, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and my peanut curry sauce.
And it’s the sauce that really puts this quinoa dish over the top.
Peanut Curry Quinoa Sauce
The combination of peanut butter, curry, and Sriracha (not enough to be spicy), coupled with the smoky saltiness of Bragg Liquid Aminos and the sweetness of mirin, gives this dish so much flavor, you’ll never view quinoa as a bland grain ever again.
Or maybe it was always just me….
Either way, make my Peanut Curry Quinoa for dinner this week, and enjoy an incredibly healthy and flavorful one bowl meal.
A Few Things!
I definitely have a favorite curry powder. Slightly sweet and not very spicy, Simply Organic’s Curry Powder is the only one I use. You can usually find Simply Organic Curry Powder at Sprouts or Whole Foods, but here it is on Amazon [aff. link].
Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine, and it’s a crucial component of this peanut curry sauce.
When you purchase mirin, make sure that the ingredient list says
“Water, Organic Rice, Sea Salt, Koji Aspergillus oryzae.”
If you see glucose or fructose syrup in there, and the price tag is around $3, it’s fake mirin.
Don’t buy it.
Real mirin has become increasingly difficult for me to find at the grocery store. My favorite brand that I used to be able find at Sprouts is Eden Foods. If you can’t find mirin near you, here is Eden Foods Mirin on Amazon [aff. link].
Peanut Curry Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Peanut Curry Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce, but Bragg Liquid Aminos is best
- ¼ cup mirin, Japanese cooking wine. Use REAL mirin; if glucose or fructose is on the ingredients list, it's not actually mirin. I prefer Eden Foods Mirin)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ Tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp sriracha, (or ½ tsp Pain is Good Sambal hot sauce)
- pinch ground pepper
Quinoa
- 1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp sea salt
Everything else
- 1 cup edamame
- 2 cups broccoli, steamed or blanched
- ½ cup peanuts, chopped
- ¾ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup cilantro, minced
- 14 oz tofu, cubed; use my crispy baked tofu recipe, or buy the baked tofu at Trader Joe's. You can also substitute the tofu with about 15 cooked Gardein Mandarin nuggets. Just cut each nugget into thirds, and don't use the sauce.)
Instructions
Cook the quinoa
- To a large pot, add the quinoa, vegetable broth, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to low, and let the quinoa simmer. Cover the pot, but leave a crack open to let steam escape.
- Stir the quinoa every so often, and simmer until the broth is mostly absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.
- Quinoa is done, set aside.
Prepare everything else
- While the quinoa cooks, steam or blanch your broccoli, measure out your carrots and edamame, mince your cilantro, and chop your peanuts.
- (And if you haven’t yet prepared your tofu or Gardein, now is the time to do it.)
Make the sauce
- Add the peanut butter, brown sugar, rice vinegar, curry powder, sriracha, and pepper.
- Put the saucepan back on medium-low heat, and stir constantly, until the peanut butter and everything else you just added are smoothly incorporated.
- The sauce is done when it’s all come together into one smooth, creamy, and dark mixture.
- Take the sauce off the heat, and stir in the lime juice.
Bring it all together
- Once the sauce and quinoa are done, mix everything together. Start by gently folding in the carrots, broccoli, edamame, cilantro, peanuts, and tofu.
- Now add about half of the sauce. Gently fold in the sauce, and taste. Add more sauce to taste. (I usually use about ¾ of the sauce, and save the remainder for a tofu marinade or dip.)
- Serve and enjoy!
4 Responses
This is one of my top 5 most repeated recipes from your site! I made it this last weekend and had leftovers for a couple days. I love the macro and micro nutrients in this recipe ❤️
Thanks so much Karen! This dish makes some of my favorite leftovers as well.
Ohhhh, Shannon!! This looks absolutely amazing – I honestly can’t wait to make this. I must admit don’t like quinoa by itself, it can be really bland, but agree – it’s so nutritious and when dressed properly, it’s exquisite. I suspect this will be a keeper! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks Katerina! Haha I’m so glad I’m not alone in being particular about quinoa 😄