Here’s the first of many recipes I will be posting up here. I’ve been a huge fan of quinoa for a while now, and I’ve been trying to find ways to cook quinoa that satisfy my palate. I love love love asian flavors– that rich, savory (umami) flavors that I grew up eating. In an attempt to get some ideas for a quinoa recipe, I posted a status on FaceBook: “What seriously goes well with quinoa?! I’ve tried so many things, but I just can’t find the right flavor combination…” My friend suggested quinoa cakes. Bing! I had an idea…
Here’s my recipe for this EASY Asian-inspired conglomeration of wonderful flavors! Enjoy~
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa (boiled with chicken bouillon or chicken stock)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 stalk of celery (minced)
1 stalk/bunch of young green onion (with top)
2 eggs
4 tbsp. All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. Korean pepper flakes
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt (or regular salt)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup parsley (optional)
1 tbsp. Sriracha (optional)
Olive oil for pan-frying
Instructions:
Okay, so about 1/2 to 1 cup of uncooked quinoa will give you around 2 cups. I rinsed the quinoa very thoroughly using a fine sieve, and boiled it with 1 cube of chicken bouillon. Let the quinoa cool for about 15 minutes in the fridge. Make sure to taste the quinoa for salt content!
1. Place cooked quinoa in a bowl, add carrots, celery, green onions, pepper flakes, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic salt, and pepper. Mix well.
2. Heat a large (non-stick) frying pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
3. Beat eggs and combine it in with the quinoa mixture. Add flour and mix, mix, mix. It might look a little watery from the soy sauce, but it’s totally fine.
4. Once the oil is fairly hot, spoon the mixture in burger-sized patties into the pan and fry until browned. I personally like a little char on the patties. It makes it really crispy!
I absolutely love this recipe! In my opinion, it is very similar to meat patties– taste and texture. I just love the umami flavor from the soy and sesame! It’s great if you have vegetarian (well, ovo-lacto vegetarians) friends over, you can definitely impress them with your thoughtfulness and delicious food.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Happy eating!
Faye
Faye Cooks 