These small quinoa seeds are actually like taste sponges. I was astonished by how luxurious and filling this seemed considering it only required a spoonful of vegetable oil and a few pieces of extremely lean smoked ham.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped green onion, white and green parts separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha®), or more to taste (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, or to taste (Optional)
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa in cold water for about 1 minute and drain well.
- Place in a saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cup cold water and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir ham, red bell pepper, and the white parts of the green onion until the ham begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Set chopped green onion tops aside. Add garlic, remove from heat, and stir until garlic becomes aromatic, 1 or 2 minutes.
- Stir in quinoa and return to stove over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar, soy sauce, chile-garlic sauce, and sesame seeds. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 287 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 19 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 731 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
haven’t tried it yet but as a cook with a little experience with fried rice, I decided to add celery, vegetable mix of corn peas and carrots, and I changed to red to yellow bell pepper. Also, maybe a savoy in there too…. thanks for the ideas!
Was a very easy recipe to follow. Didn’t have any peppers so I used frozen mixed vegetables instead. I think it came out more like the traditional fried rice.
Made this as directed, except that I used chicken tomato sausage (I had it on hand), a medium sized white onion, and added diced carrots and sweet peppers to make it more of a meal. I also added a teaspoon of chicken bullion to the quinoa water, and doubled the soy sauce and rice vinegar. Very tasty, and makes for a nice, easy lunch to take to work.
I made this without salt and soy sauce to cut down on sodium. I did use turkey sausage instead of pork. Turned out absolutely fantastic. Highly recommend!
I made it according to the recipe. Then I shared with the relatives. Everyone loved it. I will make it again. Maybe even try the egg too, maybe not. Thank you for another good recipe!
double your recipe because you will be wanting more. I put the sauce out with the meal for the differing pallets in my family. Made a spicy sauce for myself and non-spicy for the rest.
Really yummy. I didn’t have rice vinegar, so used champagne vinegar instead. Really good flavors and my kids loved it.
I followed this recipe exactly and I really liked it. I have been trying to find a recipe to suit me and this fit the bill!
Super and delicious. My wife is addicted and this is her new comfort food. We will make this as a supplement to stir fry if we have company over and it’s a big hit. Delicious with Sriracha.
I used left over grilled chicken and added thinly sliced red cabbage. I also used fermented red pepper paste instead of the chili-garlic sauce. The dish tastes delicious this way. I will make it again with some pork chops or ham next time.
Yum! I made a couple changes, but this is a great base recipe. I used chicken bone broth instead of water to cook the quinoa; added carrots, asparagus, and white onion to the veggies; used beef summer sausage instead of ham; added red pepper flakes and red chili paste to the seasonings; added two beaten eggs to the final step to preserve that diner fried rice feel. Again I say, yum?
Just made this for dinner and really enjoyed it. I love spicy food and this wasn’t inherently spicy. Next time I’ll add some red pepper flakes and perhaps a little more Sriracha to kick it up just a bit. I might cut back just slightly on the quinoa or add more red bell pepper and ham to change the ratio slightly, but this is a keeper.
I made this using boneless skinless chicken breast. I baked 3 small breasts with pepper and soy sauce just till cooked through. I cut the chicken into bite size pieces. I made the quinoa as noted as well as the other ingredients. I finished it off just the way Chef John stated. Absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it. I may add some sliced mushrooms next time.
my family doesn’t like quinoa! my hubby also thought this was too salty.
Flavor is a bit.. lacking. Not a lot of depth to it. Mostly sour. It’s the best recipe for quinoa in terms of liquid and time, though. Quinoa turned out fluffy right on time.
We liked this quinoa recipe a lot. The add-ins along with the soy and vinegar give it a great Asian flavor.
Love this recipe. When I’m feeling scandalous I add pineapple and substitute the ham with six strips of crumbled crispy bacon because… well… everything’s better with bacon.
Very pleased with this recipe. I did up some of the ingredients the second time I made it. The first time it seemed there was way too much quinoa compared to the rest of the ingredients. So I did 2 cups of ham, 1 cub of red pepper, and 1 cup of scallions. The rest I left as is. I love this recipe.
Made this just as directed and it was wonderful. I see lots of opportunity for adaptions but think I will always come back to this. Made a hit with family members that have never tasted Quinoa before. Thank you.
Followed the recipe exactly as written. I loved it! Next time I will try it with shrimp.
Added soy beans and a little broccoli. Everyone loved it! Absolutely a keeper! Even the kids asked for seconds!