This quinoa fried rice has no rice. And no fried. It’s kind of like flourless cookies. And grain-free oatmeal. And cauliflower rice. It defies the very definition of the food itself; yet we’re all a little into it? Lately I crave things that can be enjoyed both hot and cold. Things that are delicious until proven guilty. Things like this riceless friedless quinoa fried rice. If you’ve made my Easy Vegetable Teriyaki Stir Fry before, you know I love a good one meal wonder.
Now let’s talk grains. Unless you have the frozen pre-cooked kind, rice takes a helluva long time to cook. Like 45 minutes too many. Quinoa, while difficult to pronounce, is not difficult to cook. It takes a mere fifteen minutes to serve up the fluffy, protein-packed goodness that is this pseudograin. Yep, quinoa is actually a seed!! We’re all just pretending to be things we’re not, here.
To keep it easy, I seasoned up this whole grain n’ veggie mixture with a simple mixture of sriracha and reduced-sodium soy sauce. Feel free to add some sesame oil if you want to raise the flavor roof. For all the gluten-free folks reading, feel free to use tamari instead! P.S. Anytime I list minced ginger in a recipe, I’m secretly using this bottled minced ginger from The Ginger People. You can get it online or at Whole Foods. It’s a godsend. Because who wants to actually mince fresh ginger?
There are so many places that this dish could go. Add edamame for more plant-powered protein. Add scrambled eggs for an authentic twist. Add more greens to make it more of a salad. Try this Thai Quinoa Fried Rice for a super yummy peanut butter version. This Instant Pot Pad Thai Stir is another winner! Oh the places quinoa will go!! Print
