Why rinse Quinoa prior to cooking
If you’ve looked at the directions on a package of Quinoa you may notice they instruct you to rinse your grains throughly. Why?
This is to remove the saponins, a bitter-tasting and toxic compound that coats the tiny seeds. Saponins are considered an anti-nutritional factor, meaning they reduce protein digestibility and availability of other nutrient absorption within digestion. And fun fact, they are the most studies of all the anti-nutrients (others include protease inhibitors, lectins, cyanogens, total free phenolics, tannins, phytic acid, toxic amino acids, anti-vitamins, and oxalate).
Saponins are a natural predator detergents commonly found in plants, are abundant in quinoa
Simply rinsing the grain in water aka “the wet method” allows saponins to be removed and you’ll notice a soap-like suds during rinsing. When the water run clear, you’re in the clear to prepare them your desired way. Which brings me to…
How to best prepare quinoa to remove all the anti-nutritional components (cuz it also contains protease inhibitors, and phytic acid which irritate the digestive system;):
OPTION 1
1. Soak 1 cup quinoa in salted water for 6-8 hours (this reduces the phytic acid)
2. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rub the seeds together with your fingers while rinsing under cold running water (this ‘polishing’ removes the coating of saponins)
3. In a pot, combine the quinoa with 1.5 cups of water with a pinch of salt (or stock)
4. Bring to the boil and then reduce to low temperature and simmer (lid on) for 10-15 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the seeds become almost translucent
5. Rest for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork before serving.
OPTION 2
Measure 1 cup of quinoa and place in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water (to removes the coating of saponins).
In an instapot or pressure cooker, combine 1 cup of quinoa with 1.5 cups of water (or stock).
Push the rice cook option and wait for the magic to happen. Once the timer goes off, let the pot naturally release for ~10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid and fluff with a fork.
Are you curious why plants have these anti-nutrients?
Plants want to proliferate, spread their seeds and multiple. But animals make that tricky sometimes. Evolution has allowed plants to create these antigens to be protective. They are natural detergents that ward off mould, fungus and to prevent animals from consuming them. If a squirrel was to eat this plant they would get a tummy ache and learn not to eat it again. Humans….well, we’re not as intuitive. We go on eating something even though we will experience some sort of discomfort afterwards, often because we don’t know how to read the cue, we think it’s normal. Luckily our ancestors did and devised many techniques to prepare foods that eliminated the lectins in order to enjoy them.
Curious for more info about Quinoa Nutrition:
“Quinoa seeds have remarkable nutritional properties. They contain more proteins, fiber, and fat than regular grains [8]. In particular, their protein content is as high as 15%, with an excellent balance of amino acids, and they are considered an important source of minerals and vitamins [5,9,10]. The seeds are also rich in neutral lipids. Triglycerides dominate the seeds, comprising about 50%, followed by diglycerides. Linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids are the main fatty acids found in quinoa seeds [11].:”
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7179108/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/antinutritional-factors