Quinoa has become increasingly popular among health conscious people, and I adopted it couple of years ago after discovering all its amazing nutritional benefits. This little seed from South America is known as ‘superfood’ because of its high protein content, plus it is packed with vitamins and minerals. Not to mention it is naturally gluten-free!
Now you wonder, what is puffed quinoa? It’s simply quinoa heated on a stove until it pops quite like pop corn – well not quite as loud and big. Puffed quinoa turns into a crunchy topping for sweet and savory dishes. I sprinkle it on salads, desserts, or my oatmeal. But I like best puffed quinoa crispy texture and nutty flavor when combined with raw chocolate in a delicious treat.
The first time I tried to puff quinoa, the heat under my pan was obviously too low as quinoa got slowly toasted without truly popping. I recommend to warm up your pan well enough before adding quinoa – test the heat with a little amount of quinoa, the crackling sound must happen after a few seconds, otherwise slightly increase the heat.
- Organic white quinoa
- Rince thoroughly the uncooked quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. This step removes its natural coating called saponin, which can make it taste bitter.
- Spread the quinoa evenly on a baking sheet – I use two of them in order to get a thin layer of quinoa, which will dry faster.
- Leave to dry overnight or place in the oven on the lowest temperature (convection mode). It takes about 2 hours to dry.
- Heat a pan on medium heat (or medium-high heat depending on your stove) and transfer part of the dried quinoa. Make sure it creates a single layer on the bottom no more. Close the lid and shake the pot while quinoa starts popping.
- After one or two minutes, once the popping sound slows down, remove the quinoa to avoid it to burn. Quinoa puffs are just a tiny larger once popped.
- Repeat until all your quinoa is puffed. Once puffed quinoa has cooled, keep it in an airtight container.
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