Simple Gluten Free Kitchen

Coconut Quinoa Pilaf With Chestnuts

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I grew up hearing that coconut oil is high in saturated fats and therefore not good for you. All of a sudden in last two years it has become the healthiest oil and I keep coming across exciting recipes on every third blog. Displays at health food stores are overflowing with jars of coconut oil and it has become the topic to talk. Claims abound that the  naturally occurring saturated fats have some amazing health benefits.

I watched several shows about coconut oil from Dr. OZ  but always ignored him about this one thing, thinking it was the latest fad until when my husband said that when I try so many other new ingredients, what’s the harm in trying coconut oil?  May be none.  After all its a natural fruit and may possibly be good when so many vegans and raw foodists rave about  it. That’s when I decided to experiment with this oil in my cooking.

I started my hunt and googled ‘recipes with coconut oil’, this led me to a site called ‘The Kitchen‘ which had 10 favorite recipes using coconut oil but all of them were sweet. Since it was my first time I was certainly not thinking to try coconut oil in a sweet recipe and fool myself in believing that it was butter. I wanted to start something that I and my family would enjoy. And it was pilaf not the traditional standard grain, rice but with quinoa.

 

 

I came up with this recipe because I had seen my neighbor in India, prepare coconut rice with peas and potatoes. I replaced rice and potatoes with tri colored quinoa and chestnuts. Chestnuts are the best substitute for potatoes and supply a feast of nutrients.  They are low in fat, high in fiber and packed with vitamins and minerals. You can use canned chestnuts in this recipe or roast your own at home. Roasted chestnuts taste good and fill your kitchen with great smell. If you’ve never roasted chestnuts before and want to give it a shot, check here for instructions.

When I cook white quinoa I use less water to create light fluffy quinoa. While in this recipe I used two parts coconut milk and one part quinoa because the dark shade quinoa have slightly more fibrous texture and need some extra moisture.  Although it will take about the same time to cook. All the colors have the same nutrition but they have a slight difference in taste. The quinoa pilaf gets two hints of coconut flavor one from coconut milk and the other from oil, which gives a quite rich tropical flavor to the dish.  All in all the taste was  sweet, palatable and unmistakably delicious. I was quite surprised to find my daughter loved it she doesn’t like the smell of coconut oil. For now, I’d use coconut oil sparingly in curries or stir fry (its expensive, this jar costs me $21.46 for 454 g). I  can’t think of using it as  butter at this price.

 

 

This pilaf is a perfect side dish option to any meal. You know what I loved the most about this pilaf? Its simple, real simple side dish that pairs well with almost any entree.

COCONUT QUINOA PILAF WITH CHESTNUTS

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup tri colored quinoa
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1cup roasted chopped chestnuts
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
  • 1 chopped tomato
  • 1 chopped jalapeno
  • 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Rinse quinoa  in a fine mesh strainer for 2 minutes. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing.
  2.  In a saucepan heat coconut oil over medium low heat.
  3.  Add onion and ginger, saute for 2 minutes until the edges starts to brown.
  4. Add tomatoes, peas jalapeno and raisins, stir and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Add  coconut milk , salt, black pepper and quinoa, stir well and bring it to a gentle boil.
  6. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender and milk is absorbed.
  7. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork and stir in roasted chestnuts.
  8. Serve.

 

Linked to Allergy free Wednesdays. Gluten Free Fridays.

 

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Comments

  1. Hi Balvinder, your pilaf look very inviting. So mouth watering and I love this recipe.
    Coconut oil has got very good source of mineral and lots of health benefit. It’s the coconut milk that’s high in cholesterol and bad for health if consume too much. The young coconut water and flesh are very good source of vitamin and minerals too.

    Back tomorrow to catch up with your previous posting which I’ve miss. It’s 1.11am my side, going to bed now.
    Have a nice day,regards.

    Reply

    • Amelia, you sleep that late, I finish half of my sleep by that time. Thanks for the tips I will consume coconut milk in moderation. Have a good night sleep to you!

      Reply

      • Hi Balvinder, yes I usually sleep quite late which it’s actually very bad for health. I only sleep about 4 to 5 hours since my nursing days. Now that I quit nursing, I still having problem sleeping early. ;(
        Actually the best time to rest is around 10pm to let our internal organs do the filtering job. And best not to consume any food after 8pm as during this time our organs already stop working and start doing the filtering job.

        Have a nice day.

        Reply

  6. Love your pilaf version ! The quinoa sounds really good and nutritious compare to rice 🙂 With all those raves re coconut oil , hopefully the price will go down sometime 😀 Or maybe it’s better to buy a good quality olive oil ?

    Reply

    • You know, I am fine with canola and olive oil. Coconut oil is just an addition to my cooking oil arsenal. I will use it occasionally. I wonder how anyone can cook everything in so expensive oil?

      Reply

  14. WOW, I totally love this recipe! I need to make it slightly lower carb, but I love quinoa so will use some fo that too. I will bookmark your recipe. Have an awesome weekend, my friend. 🙂

    Reply

  15. Holy smokes! That’s so expensive! Because we live in the Caribbean, all I cook with is coconut oil because its actually cheaper than olive oil here 🙂 Gonna have to bookmark this recipe because I love using it in savory dishes 🙂

    Reply

  17. The same with me Bal. In fact, it was so stuck in my mind that coconut oil is not good for health. Like you said, I discovered the organic and virgin coconut oil. I also do use them for my cooking, just mild but I am more into virgin olive oil.

    Quinoa and pilaf is one we seldom eat but I am trilled to discover your recipe. Great version and thats very beautifully prepared.

    Reply

  19. Very interesting recipe Balvinder…will definitely try it…get your coconut oil from costco…costs about the same for 2.3 litre…that is quite a price difference

    Reply

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