A bright color palette of fresh vegetables and puffy grains of quinoa are enrobed in a velvety, rich peanut sauce.
Thai peanut quinoa is robust with an addictive “umami” quality. It’s rich yet well-balanced and nutritious. I would classify it as plant-based, comfort food. This dish is so hearty and full flavored that it satisfies vegans and meat-eaters alike. I often serve it as the main course for lunch or as a light dinner with iced mint tea or lime water.
Thai peanut quinoa is wonderfully tasty and should have a place in your repertoire of plant-based options. Really, there’s not a lot more that needs to be said about this dish except that you should definitely eat some.
Happy chopping and chomping!
Thai Peanut Quinoa
Ingredients
The Dish
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups water
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup grated or julienned carrot
- 1 cup thinly sliced sugar snap peas
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion
Peanut Sauce
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey (replace with agave syrup to make this dish vegan)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated, fresh ginger
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
Garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped, roasted and salted peanuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup rough chopped cilantro
Instructions
Quina
- Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve, under luke warm water. Do not skip this step. Quinoa has a natural coating of saponin that can make it taste bitter.
- In a medium sized pot, combine the quinoa,water and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water.
- Remove quinoa from the heat, cover the pot and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool to room temperature
Peanut Sauce
- Vigorously whisk together peanut sauce ingredients until they are well combined and smooth. Adjust the sauce to taste and add a little water to loosen the sauce if needed.
The Dish
- Just before serving, in a large mixing bowl, combine the quinoa, vegetables and sauce. Toss to coat.
Serve
- Equally portion into serving dishes. You can also serve family style and allow people to serve themselves.
- Garnish with toasted peanuts and cilantro.
Notes
Store leftovers in and air tight container in the refrigerator for three days.
Recipe adapted from cookieandkate.com
