I love the smell of fresh basil and it's a great ingredient to cook with. It features in Italian and Thai food, both of which I love but cannot eat too much of due to my intolerance. Therefore I have to get creative with some vegan recipes! I had a hankering after Thai stir fry and wanted it to be more filling than just veggies so I added quinoa into the mix. This superfood in an ancient grain that packs in the protein. I chose black quinoa since it's more crunchy than the other colours just to balance out the softness of the veggies. The basil flavour comes through beautifully in this Thai inspired dish.
In the last few years there's been a huge hype about quinoa, and rightly so. It's one of the most protein rich foods and contains twice as much fiber as most other grains. This ancient grain dates back to the Incas, being part of their stable diet. It's been dubbed a superfood, for it's plethora of health benefits. It contains more vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants than any other grain. It's super versatile when it comes to cooking. It can be used from breads, cakes, salads, soups and even as a substitute for rice with sushi. So get yourself some quinoa and start experimenting!
Basil & Chilli Quinoa Stir Fry
1/2 cup black quinoa
1 cup water
1/4 head broccoli
1/2 capsicum
3 shiitake mushrooms
6 oyster mushrooms
1/2 onion
10 basil leaves
6 keffir lime leaves
1 chilli
3 - 4 TBS hot water
1 TBS grapeseed oil
1 TBS tamari
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1. Rinse the quinoa with water, drain well
2. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil, make sure you don't stir the pot or lift the lid
3. Turn the heat down just a little, leave it to about med heat and cook for a further 15 mins
4. Turn the heat off and let sit for another 10 mins, don't lift the lid off, in the meantime cook the vegetables
5. In a wok head up the oil and add the keffir lime leaves, chilli, tamari, garlic, ginger and coriander seeds
6. Dice up the onion and add the basil leaves and stir on high heat for 5 mins
7. Add the florets of broccoli and keep stirring for 5 mins. At this point add in the 3 - 4 TBS of hot water to make sure that it doesn't dry out
8. Slice the capsicum into 1cm length pieces, cut the shiitake mushrooms and add it with the oyster mushrooms to the wok, make sure you keep stirring the vegetables around for another 5 mins
9. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, be aware that the black quinoa will be more crunchy than the white
10. Add the quinoa to the vegetables and mix thoroughly
11. Serve with fresh basil leaves or coriander
2. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil, make sure you don't stir the pot or lift the lid
3. Turn the heat down just a little, leave it to about med heat and cook for a further 15 mins
4. Turn the heat off and let sit for another 10 mins, don't lift the lid off, in the meantime cook the vegetables
5. In a wok head up the oil and add the keffir lime leaves, chilli, tamari, garlic, ginger and coriander seeds
6. Dice up the onion and add the basil leaves and stir on high heat for 5 mins
7. Add the florets of broccoli and keep stirring for 5 mins. At this point add in the 3 - 4 TBS of hot water to make sure that it doesn't dry out
8. Slice the capsicum into 1cm length pieces, cut the shiitake mushrooms and add it with the oyster mushrooms to the wok, make sure you keep stirring the vegetables around for another 5 mins
9. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, be aware that the black quinoa will be more crunchy than the white
10. Add the quinoa to the vegetables and mix thoroughly
11. Serve with fresh basil leaves or coriander
