2000s Recipes + Menus

Quinoa “Couscous”

Serves4
  • Active time:5 min
  • Start to finish:30 min
April 2009
Cooking quinoa so that it’s light and fluffy like couscous is a great trick to learn. Learn how our executive food editor developed this recipe.
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • Wash quinoa in several changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a large fine-mesh sieve.
  • Cook quinoa in a medium saucepan of well-salted boiling water, uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve. Add 1 inch water to saucepan and set sieve in pan (make sure bottom of sieve is not touching water) and bring water to a boil. Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel (not terry cloth), then cover with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam until tender, fluffy, and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand off heat, without lid but still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
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