• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simple Sumptuous Cooking
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • How To
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • How To
    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Karnataka Cuisine

    Spicy Spinach Quinoa

    Published: June 2, 2016 · Modified: March 23, 2019 by Uma Raghupathi · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 37 Comments

    6 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe

    I have always been looking for the best spice combination that brings the best from Quinoa and also has the traditional taste from Indian cuisine. Spinach Quinoa does just that!

    A bowl of food on a plate, with Indian cuisine and Spice this recipe

    If you have never tried Quinoa in Indian cuisine, here's a wonderful recipe that you will love Spicy Spinach Quinoa. It is one of my best fusion recipes that I have tried so far. Quinoa is not common in Asian or Indian cuisine, but the nutritional benefits are so much better compared to white rice or brown rice.

    A bowl of food on a table, with Quinoa and Spinach

    The dry texture from cooked Quinoa is typically good for salads. So I started looking for ways to make it creamier. So I tried a blend of spinach, tomato, and cashews to make it creamy. More than the choice of vegetables it is the spice combination of cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and ginger that gives it an irresistible aroma.

    A bowl of food on a table

    I used a teaspoon of chili powder and green chilies to suit my taste (7, on a scale of 1 to 10). You can try changing it a little to suit your preference. The dish hardly needs any prep time.

    So you can be done in 30 minutes or less 😉

    Step by step directions

    A bunch of different types of food, with Quinoa and Spinach
    • Cook the quinoa with 2 cups of water.
    • Meanwhile, blanch the spinach and blend with tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, chilies, cashews, and about half a cup of water. Blend well and keep aside.
    • Place a pan over medium heat. Saute the cumin seeds in a teaspoon of coconut oil. After a few seconds, add cloves and continue to saute for a few seconds.
    • Add onions and continue to saute until they are transparent.
    • Add cauliflower florets, turmeric powder, chili powder, and crushed black pepper. Place a cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes.
    • When the vegetables appear cooked, add in the spinach blend and stir well. Add salt to taste.
    • When it starts to boil, add the cooked quinoa and stir well. Cover the lid for 5 minutes and let the quinoa blend with the gravy.

    Check out my other recipes

    • Palak Rice - Instant Pot Spinach Rice
    • Vegan Spinach Soup
    • Aloo Palak (Instant Pot Potato Spinach Curry)
    • Chow Chow Kootu - Chayote Kootu
    • Lemon Quinoa Indian Style - Instant Pot
    A bowl of spinach quinoa and with glass of butter milk

    Spicy Spinach Quinoa

    Uma Raghupathi
    I have always been looking for the best spice combination that brings the best from Quinoa and also has the traditional taste from Indian cuisine. Spinach Quinoa does just that!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time:5 mins
    Cook Time:30 mins
    Total Time:35 mins
    Course :Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine :Indian
    Diet :Vegan
    Difficulty :Easy
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 197 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup quinoa
    • ½ cup spinach
    • 1 cup cauliflower florets
    • ½ cup chopped onions
    • Half tomatoes chopped
    • 2 green chilies chopped
    • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
    • 3-4 small piece cinnamon
    • 3 cloves
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
    • 5-6 cashews - optional
    • 2 teaspoon coconut oil
    • Salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Cook the quinoa with 2 cups of water.
    • Meanwhile, blanch the spinach and blend with tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, chilies, cashews and about half cup water. Blend well and keep aside.
    • Place a pan over medium heat. Saute the cumin seeds in a teaspoon of coconut oil. After few seconds, add cloves and continue to saute for few seconds.
    • Add onions and continue to saute until they are transparent.
    • Add cauliflower florets, turmeric powder, chili powder, and crushed black pepper. Place a cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes.
    • When the vegetables appear cooked, add in the spinach blend and stir well. Add salt to taste.
    • When it starts to boil, add the cooked quinoa and stir well. Cover the lid for 5 minutes and let the quinoa blend with the gravy.

    YOUR OWN NOTES

    Click here to add your own private notes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2g | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 379mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutritional information is an estimation only.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @simplesumptuouscooking or tag #simplesumptuouscooking!
    Subscribe to my email list and get my Free E book Instant Pot Vegan Recipes.

    Now spinach quinoa is ready to serve. Serve hot with a cold glass of plain or mango lassi! 🙂

    A bowl of noodles with sauce, with Quinoa and Spinach
    « Eggplant Dosa - Brinjal Dosa
    Sesame Juice | Ellu Juice »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lucie @WIN-WIN FOOD

      June 10, 2016 at 9:06 pm

      I would never have thought of using quinoa when cooking Indian. What a brilliant idea!

      Reply
    2. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health

      June 09, 2016 at 11:22 am

      never thought of combining these two but sounds great for a quick side 🙂

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 09, 2016 at 3:01 pm

        My new experiment and turned out very good:) a Thank you Dixya!

        Reply
    3. Kelly Page (@TastingPage)

      June 09, 2016 at 12:11 am

      Love all of the bold flavors in this dish. I feel like I could convince my on the fence quinoa eaters to eat this!

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 09, 2016 at 3:45 am

        Thank you Kelly!

        Reply
    4. Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy

      June 08, 2016 at 5:21 pm

      Yum Uma! Love spinach and the use of quinoa in this! I make something similar, but need to try your version! Perfect easy and quick dinner!

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 08, 2016 at 7:36 pm

        Thanks Anjali! Definitely easy and quick meal 🙂

        Reply
    5. Molly Kumar

      June 08, 2016 at 4:45 am

      Spicy Spinach Quinoa sounds amazing. I love having quinoa for dinner and will try your recipe soon.

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 08, 2016 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you Molly ?

        Reply
    6. Mel @ avirtualvegan.com

      June 08, 2016 at 4:10 am

      What a great way to pack the flavour into quinoa. It sounds delicious, especially with a mango lassi!

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 08, 2016 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you Mel!

        Reply
    7. Donna

      June 08, 2016 at 3:24 am

      Ooh yum, I have never tried quinoa in an Indian dish before, but now I have to - this sounds amazing!!

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 08, 2016 at 4:08 am

        Thank you Donna! Hope you will like it!

        Reply
    8. Linda @ Veganosity

      June 07, 2016 at 1:26 pm

      Spinach, Spice, and quinoa. Say no more, I love it!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    A women standing in front of a mountain

    Hello friends! My name is Uma and I am a vegan. But that's not all - I am also a mom.

    If you're curious about what being a vegan entails or just want to try some new recipes, keep reading! I'll share some of my favorite dishes with you.

    More about me

    My Cookbook

    cookbook displaying on white back ground

    Popular Recipes

    • Wheat Flour Dosa
    • Mushroom Masala Recipe
    • Potato Kurma For Chapathi, Biryani, Poori
    • Cauliflower Sabzi
    • Cucumber Pineapple Smoothie
    • Watermelon Pineapple Smoothie

    Eat What You Want!

    • Vegan Mango Ice Cream
    • Mini Mango Cheesecake (No Bake)
    • Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
    • Easy Vegan Honey Cake Recipe
    • Vegan Creamy Mushroom And Broccoli Pasta
    • Veg Hakka Noodles
    • Vegan Butter Chicken
    • Palak Tofu Recipe (Instant Pot &Stovetop)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.

    COPYRIGHT © 2021 - 2022 SIMPLE SUMPTUOUS COOKING

    6 shares