It sounds like a greeting in a foreign language and looks like a distant cousin of couscous. Despite the unfamiliarity,its time to warm up to quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). A seed originally cultivated for food in the Andes (South America),primarily in Peru,Bolivia,and Ecuador,quinoa is the only plant food that is gluten free,has high protein content,and contains all essential amino acids. Therefore,it comes as little surprise that the United Nations is celebrating 2013 as the Year of the Quinoa with an aim to raise awareness about the grain that,it feels,provides complete nutrition. The Incas discovered quinoa and rightly called it the mother of all grains, says Tanbir Chahal,a Chandigarh-based chef,consultant and food researcher. Chahal has put together a taste and tell workshop incorporating the quinoa in easy to make recipes. While the event is scheduled to be held at FabIndia in Sector 17 on August 16 at 11 am,a select preview was held a few days ago,which saw Chahal roll out an array of dishes that would appeal to different palates. Not many are aware of the fact that quinoa is now organically grown in India. Its a healthy whole grain that can be included for a healthy diet, said Chahal as he rolled up freshly made quinoa (it is cooked just like rice) in lettuce leaves smeared with a tangy dressing,sesame and lightly sautéed mushrooms. Apart from being a crunchy appetizer,Chahal mentions that it also has high nutritional content. Its low in fat and provides a good quantity of minerals such as manganese,magnesium,iron,copper,phosphorus and potassium. It also contains vitamins,most notably the B group vitamins and vitamin E,and is high in dietary fibre, said Chahal as we noticed a platter of sushi also a part of the presentation. This is actually Frushi made from fresh fruits like mango and cantaloupe rolled in quinoa and wrapped in Nori, explained the chef as he tossed up Tabouleh salad made using fresh greens where he replaced couscous with quinoa. Its good to experiment with ingredients of ones choice, said Chahal while serving a portion of quinoa pudding. Quite like desi kheer,this came with a topping of roasted Amaranth grains. The aim of the workshop is also to explore new flavours and share recipes that are healthy and easy to replicate, remarked the chef who is a proponent of organic and healthy meals. His new venture,Bread Basics,powered by his company Food For Thought,will also roll out chemical-free bread made from sprouted wheat at the workshop next week.
