Indian Quinoa

I hadn't intended to post this recipe, so you'll notice that I do not have any original photos, but a few people have been asking for it, so here it is! This is extremely simple and very inexpensive to make.  I do have a great original recipe for butter chicken sauce, but it does make the process quite a bit more complicated, so I've kept it simple here. If you would rather make your sauce from scratch, I can forward you the recipe I like to use. 

I prefer this recipe vegetarian, but if you wish to use a protein, I'll include directions for the addition of chicken. 

Ingredients:

• 10 pieces (or full bag) Baby Bok Choy 
• 3 med. Sweet Peppers
• 4 Green Onions
• Fresh Basil 
• 3 cloves Fresh Garlic 
• 1 cup Brown Rice or Quinoa 
• 1 Jar of Butter Chicken Sauce (low sodium)
• Cayenne Pepper or Chili Flakes 
• Pinch Himalayan Pink Salt
• Pinch of Garlic Pepper  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lean Chicken Breast (Optional)

Prep:

• Wash all vegetables and cut the ends off of the bok choy
• Slice sweet peppers into quarters
• Dice green onions
• Mince garlic
• For protein: Cut chicken breast into chunks and season with salt and garlic pepper and then pan sear until fully cooked.

Process:

• Begin by cooking 1 cup of brown rice or quinoa - keep warm and set off to the side 
• In a large pan or wok, cook your bok choy on medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp of water and minced garlic
• After bok choy has cooked for a few minutes, add your sweet peppers and green onion and pan sear for approximately 5 minutes
• Add a few pinches of garlic pepper and Himalayan pink salt
• Dump the entire jar of butter chicken sauce into the wok or large pan with your veggies and garlic and let it cook on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes
• If choosing to add protein: add your seasoned/cooked chicken with the veggies and sauce (Note: you may want to buy 2 jars of the butter chicken paste if you choose to add protein and follow the same instructions, adding extra sauce if desired)
• At this point, choose your spice level - if you prefer something more mild, skip this step. I personally love spice in my Indian food, so I would add 1 tbsp of either cayenne or chili flakes (or both if you really love spice)
• The final step is the plating: Add a dash of your olive oil, Himalayan pink salt and garlic pepper to your rice or quinoa and serve your homemade Indian over top of a bed of your grain and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil - & voila!

 

 

Wine Pairing:

I would pair an off-dry Riesling from Alsace or Ontario with this dish. The oily texture will help coat your mouth to make the heat of the dish seem less abrasive and the slight sweetness in the wine will also help combat the spice.

One of my favourites from Ontario is The Foreign Affair's 2011 Riesling. It has enough of the desirable weight, oily texture and residual sugar to pair perfectly with this dish.