This was one of my first inventions that I was really proud of! It’s a great summer dish, and a really satisfying salad.
You will need:
- a sharp knife
- a chopping board
- a saucepan
- a large mixing bowl
- a kettle
- a measuring jug
and the ingredients (for 4 people):
- 200-250ml quinoa
- 1 stock cube
- garlic
- coriander / cilantro
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- frozen peas, such as petits pois
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
Start by washing the quinoa and leave it to drain. (I wrote in more detail about quinoa here, so if there’s anything that’s unclear please check it out!)
Place your saucepan on a gentle heat, and dice your onion. (You can find more detailed instructions here: onions). Add a little oil (less than a teaspoon is fine), then your diced onion, garlic, and coriander.
Boil a kettle and mix together the stock, according to the instructions. Add the quinoa, then the stock, to the saucepan. (Remember: use three times as much liquid as quinoa.)
Dice the carrots (you can find more detailed instructions here), then add them to the saucepan.
Put a lid on the saucepan, and let it boil gently for 20 minutes.
While the saucepan is boiling, dice your tomato and cucumber. (You can find more detailed instructions here: tomato, cucumber.) Put the frozen peas, and the tomato, in a large mixing bowl, but keep the cucumber separate for now.
Once the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, it should be cooked.
Add the cooked ingredients to the mixing bowl. This will thaw out the peas, and cool the quinoa mix at the same time. Finally, add the cucumber.
I like this salad best when it’s just made and still slightly warm, but if you’re not going to eat it straight away remember to chill it in the fridge.
I originally designed this recipe as an accompaniment to falafel, but garlic and coriander are such versatile flavours that it goes with nearly anything! You could add some beans, have it with a burger, or even diced ham!
How to Chop a Carrot 