Quinoa salad

• 1 cupquinoa · rinsed well
• 1.75 cupswater or vegetable broth
• 1 canchickpeas · 15 oz, drained
• 1cucumber · diced
• 1 cupcherry tomatoes · halved
• 1/2red onion · finely diced
• 1/2 cupflat-leaf parsley · chopped
• 1/4 cupmint · chopped
• 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 1lemon · juiced
• 1/2 tspkosher salt · to taste

Methode

1. 1

   Rinse the quinoa or it tastes soapy

   Quinoa is coated in saponins, a natural bitter compound that tastes soapy if you skip the rinse. Run it under cold water in a fine sieve for thirty seconds until the water runs clear. This one step is the difference between clean, nutty quinoa and a faint dish-soap aftertaste.

2. 2

   Cook it like pilaf, not porridge

   Use a ratio of about one part quinoa to just under two parts liquid, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer low for fifteen minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Too much water gives you mush. You want each grain to stay distinct with its little germ ring unfurled.

3. 3

   Steam and fluff off the heat

   Once the liquid is gone, take it off the heat and let it sit covered for five minutes, then fluff with a fork. This resting steam finishes the grains and lets them separate. Stirring it hot and wet is what turns quinoa into a gluey clump.

4. 4

   Cool the quinoa before dressing

   Spread the cooked quinoa on a tray to cool. Dressing it hot makes the grains absorb the oil and go heavy, and the vegetables wilt. Cooled quinoa stays fluffy and takes the lemon dressing as a coating rather than a soak.

5. 5

   Chickpeas and herbs make it a meal

   Chickpeas push the protein and fibre high enough that the salad stands as a lunch on its own. A generous amount of parsley and mint keeps it fresh and bright, treat the herbs as a vegetable here, not a garnish.

6. 6

   Dress with lemon and good oil, taste twice

   A simple lemon and olive oil dressing lets the ingredients speak. Grains and pulses are bland until seasoned, so taste after dressing and add salt and lemon until it pops. It will need more than you expect, and even more after chilling.