It's Salad day today! Indian Quinoa Salad with pantry-stable ingredients. It's a pack of flavors with layers of taste. The lemon juice, fresh cilantro, and chili peppers make all the difference, so you crave more.
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How We Came Up With This Recipe?
Recently, I've been trying to make dinners easy with as few ingredients as possible in this busy world. This Indian-style spicy quinoa salad is one of a kind(like this Fresh Mango Cucumber Side).
I call this salad Indian because of its distinctive flavor combination. However, the recipe and its ingredients are universal and available everywhere; almost everyone will love them (check out popular quinoa recipes, such as popped quinoa).
The good part? This light Indian quinoa salad is not loaded with fat. All it requires are fresh vegetables. Fresh garden vegetables make it heaven(like this Fresco salad and this spicy broccoli salad).
About This Recipe
This spicy quinoa recipe uses global ingredients available at regular grocery stores in the United States.
The word 'Indian' was added to the title because it describes how Indian salad tastes, with its natural, simple flavors. Indian salad does not require cheese or vinaigrette.
I would call this a fusion recipe, as quinoa is new to Indian cooking.
The Ingredients
I'm embracing salads these days; they help me feel light and fabulous. I could not resist sharing this filling recipe.
- Quinoa: It is naturally bitter. Rinse 4-5 times to avoid bitterness.
- Cucumber: It adds a nice, crunchy texture. Any cucumber, including English-Persian cucumbers, tastes excellent here.
- Carrot: Compliments the cucumber and lemon juice.
- Lemon: Lemon juice can be substituted with lime juice.
- Garden Radish: Although using them is optional, I used them because I had them in my refrigerator.
- Cilantro. I highly recommend using this, as it makes the dish even more delightful.
- Green chili pepper. Adjust the quantity according to individual preference. Deseeding them before adding them will reduce their hotness.
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How To Make Indian Quinoa Salad?
- Step 1: Rinse quinoa until the water is clear.
- Step 2: Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Stir in quinoa.
- Step 3: Simmer the heat and close the lid.
- Step 4: And cook for 18-20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning at the bottom. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Step 5: In the meantime, peel the carrots and slice them.
- Step 6: Slice the cucumber, radish, and tomato.
- Step 7: Add cooked quinoa, cucumber, tomato, carrot, radish, and green chili pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Step 8: Add salt and lemon juice. Combine all the ingredients and serve immediately.
Make-ahead and Leftover Ideas.
- Make ahead. Cook quinoa ahead of time to save time when preparing dinner. Quinoa stays good for a week when stored in an airtight container. Shop for the veggies and keep them separately. Combine everything just before serving the Indian quinoa salad.
- To store. Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
- This is not a freezer-friendly recipe, as the veggies lose their texture once thawed.
- Reheat. Microwave for reheating. Too much heat potentially spoils the texture and taste of the veggies.
What To Serve With?
The Recipe Variations
- Chicken. Add grilled or shredded chicken to make this Indian quinoa salad a protein-rich and complete dinner.
- Paneer. Paneer is the Indian cottage cheese, rich in protein, creamy, and delicious. Add them as fried or grilled. This oven-baked paneer tikka would be an excellent choice for this ingredient.
- Chickpea. Chickpea is the vegan protein choice.
- Tofu. Another vegan addition to enhance the salad.
- Extra-veggies. Add choices of vegetables according to availability and preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soaking this grain for 15 minutes and rinsing the quinoa in water 4-5 times until the water is clear will help overcome this issue.
Yes, you can use white, red, or black quinoa or a mix of all three for added texture and color.
Common vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots, beets, turnips, and more. You can customize this Indian quinoa salad with your favorites.
You can add protein-rich ingredients like chickpeas, paneer, tofu, or grilled chicken to the salad.
📖 Recipe
Indian Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup tomato chopped
- 1 cup cucumber chopped
- ½ cup carrot chopped
- ½ cup radish chopped
- 1 green chili pepper green chili
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa until water is seen clear.
- Over medium heat, in a saucepan add water. Allow it to boil.
- When it is rolling boil, add quinoa and close the lid.
- Turn to low heat, and cook for 18-20 minutes. Do stir in between.
- Then remove it from the heat, and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
- In a mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa, tomato, cucumber, carrot, radish, green chili pepper, lemon juice, and salt.
- Combine all the ingredients together and serve immediately.
Notes
- Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day.
- This salad does not freeze well, as the fresh veggies lose their texture once thawed.
Nutrition
Additional Info
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This was so good! The whole family enjoyed this fresh salad. We loved the combination of ingredients. We used fresh tomatoes and cucumbers in our garden!
Hi Andrea! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Yummm this Quinoa Salad is some of the best I've ever had. great recipe.
So happy to hear it, thanks Nic!
It was nice to go through your post. Thanks for sharing the recipe here. Keep up the good work.
I’m so excited to hear it!