Recipe: Quinoa salad from Ecuador
Quinoa is a superfood that has made its way into the Western world in recent years. In South America, it was already being cultivated by the Incas 5,000 years ago. Quinoa is a word from Quechua, the language of the Incas, and translates as ‘supergrain’. It is packed with nutrients and, as it is one of the few grains that can grow at high altitudes, it is a very important staple for the local population.
Quinoa is perfect for a sunny salad like this one from Ecuador.
Recipe from the cookbook: That’s What I Call South American Cooking
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 150 grams of quinoa
- 2 small tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 4 shallots
- 1 orange
- 15 grams of fresh parsley
- 15 grams of fresh mint
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
Method:
- Rinse the quinoa under running water. Place it in a saucepan, add enough water to cover the quinoa, and bring to the boil. Leave the quinoa to simmer for 12–15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and shallots.
- Peel the orange and divide it into segments
- Finely chop the parsley and mint
- Remove the quinoa from the heat and rinse with cold water
- Put the quinoa in a bowl and add the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, shallots, orange, parsley and mint
- Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad and mix well.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with the cashew nuts.