If the thought of a Quinoa Salad doesn’t exactly rock your world, you and I will probably be friends. But being fully aware of the nutritional benefits of quinoa, I decided it was high time to grow up and start getting excited about it. Enter: My Favourite Quinoa Salad!
Quinoa Salad
I’m not going to lie to you. Put me in front of a salad bar, and you won’t see me pause for a beat in front of any option containing quinoa.
It’s not that I dislike quinoa as such. In fact, when cooked well (psst, toasting it certainly elevates it to loftier heights!), I’ll happily scoff it down plain, just like I do rice.
I think it’s more how it’s heralded so staunchly by “healthy” foodies, who insist it’s a superior alternative to rice and other grains we love that makes me – somewhat childishly! – want to not follow the trend.
Anyway, I finally grew up. So I’m here today with my favourite Quinoa Salad. I have eaten a LOT of quinoa salad in the past year, in a bid to get on board the quinoa train. And this is The One! Call it a “fusion” salad, call it a “mash-up” if you like. Whatever you call it, this Asian-inflected salad has it all going on!
What goes in Quinoa Salad
Here’s what you need for the Quinoa Salad:
Quinoa – I’ve used tri-colour quinoa here just for added extra interest, you can just use one type if you wish. Tri-colour quinoa is simply a mix of red, black and white quinoas. Both black and red quinoa have slightly more flavour than white quinoa;
Vegetables – No newcomers here. Just cabbage, red capsicum/bell pepper, cherry or grape tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and green onions;
Edamame – Also known as fresh soy beans. Buy them frozen, either in their pods or already shelled, and just prepare per the packet (usually a 5 minute boil); and
Wasabi peas – Our “treat” ingredient! Wasabi peas are dried peas flavoured with wasabi, that make delicious snacks. Regular readers know I always include a “treat” in salads, for textural interest and deliciousness. Whether it’s candied nuts, plain nuts, crispy-fried shallots, croutons to name a few … or crushed wasabi peas, in this case! Seriously don’t skip this. It’s the cherry on top!
They can usually be found in the Asian section of everyday grocery stores – they’re very popular these days! Sometimes they’re even in the general snack aisle! 😱
Quinoa Salad dressing ingredients
And here’s what you need for the Quinoa Salad dressing:
Mayonnaise – Before you get turned off by the inclusion of (a bit!) of mayonnaise in the dressing, hear me out!
First, there’s only 2 1/2 tbsp.
Secondly, it takes the place of some oil in this recipe and adds a lovely creamy note without any cream. So if you skip the mayo, you’ll need to substitute with more oil.
Thirdly, it’s Kewpie mayonnaise. Everybody knows it’s the best mayonnaise around!
Rice vinegar – Less sharp than most Western vinegars. Substitute with cider vinegar, sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar;
Oil – Any neutral-flavoured oil will do there. Grapeseed is a good option;
Mirin – A sweet Japanese cooking wine, we only need a tiny amount to add depth of flavour into the dressing;
Soy sauce – Light or all-purpose. Not dark soy, it’s too intense. More on different soy sauces here;
Sugar – To balance the flavours;
Toasted sesame oil – For that irresistible sesame flavour we all know and love!
Fresh garlic and ginger – Don’t skip these! They really add essential fresh punch to the dressing. 🙂
How to make this Quinoa Salad
Nothing groundbreaking here!!
1. Shake the dressing
Combine dressing ingredients in a container and shake! I like to use a jar, for maximum emulsification! (And useful storage 😇)
2. Cook the quinoa
Cheffy tip: toast the quinoa in the oven! It’s effortless, but makes it soooo nutty. It’s free flavour, don’t skip it!
Spread quinoa on a tray;
Toast in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C/390°F. It will smell deliciously nutty when it’s ready!
Rinse briefly in a sieve or strainer. Why? To remove quinoa’s natural coating (called saponin), which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Boxed quinoa is usually pre-rinsed, but it doesn’t hurt to get into the habit of rinsing;
Scrape into a saucepan and add water;
Simmer on low for 15 minutes with the lid on; and
Rest 10 minutes – Once all the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the stove and rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. In this step, the quinoa absorbs residual water and becomes beautifully fluffy. If you skip this step, the quinoa will be watery.
Cool quinoa completely before making the salad.
3. Toss salad!
After all the preparing and chopping up all the vegetables, I always find this part so therapeutic!
Nothing tricky here, just throw it all into a (very!) big bowl, pour over dressing then toss enthusiastically. And I’m not just saying “enthusiastically” to be cute. I mean it. To get everything mixed up properly, you need to toss, toss, toss with gusto!
How to serve this Quinoa Salad
This is one of those salads I like to call meal-worthy. It’s got:
That interest factor;
It’s pretty – should I have called it 🌈Rainbow Quinoa Salad?!
It’s filling – and keeps you full. Thanks Mr Quinoa! And;
It’s totally more-ish. It’s an overused descriptor but there really is something about this salad that makes it highly addictive.
Just to illustrate – a response from my neighbour, after I took some over to them:
Being not too heavy and without proteins, it also absolutely has a place as a side salad. But I’ll be impressed if you make this as a side for a quick midweek dinner. Rather, I’m thinking you could take it to book club, or a pot luck, or have it as part of a salad spread for lunch with friends. It’s got the oomph to stand on its own two feet and certainly a step up from a basic garden salad! 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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My Favourite Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa , tri-colour (or other colour, Note 1)
- 2 cups water
Salad:
- 1 cup cucumber , finely diced (Note 2)
- 1 carrot , medium, peeled and finely shredded (Note 3)
- 3 cups red cabbage , finely shredded (~1/4 small or 1/8 large cabbage)
- 2 green onions , finely sliced
- 250g/ 8oz cherry tomatoes , small ones quartered, large ones cut into 6
- 1 cup shelled edamame , cooked per packet then cooled (Note 4)
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped
Dressing:
- 5 tbsp soy sauce , light or all-purpose (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp mirin (Note 6)
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (sub: cider, sherry or champagne vinegar)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 7)
- 2 1/2 tbsp canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil
- 2 1/2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise (sub whole-egg mayo such as Hellman's or S&W, Note 8)
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar (white or brown)
- 2 tsp ginger , freshly grated
- 1 garlic clove , crushed using garlic press or finely grated using microplane
Garnishes:
- 1/3 cup wasabi peas , crushed (Note 9)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds , toasted (Note 10)
Instructions
Cook quinoa:
- Toast for extra flavour: Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180° fan) Spread quinoa on a tray. Bake 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until it's lightly browned and smells nutty.
- Rinse: Transfer to fine mesh sieve or strainer. Rinse under running water for 10 seconds, shake off excess water well.
- Cook: Scrape into a medium saucepan. Add water, place lid on. Bring to simmer on medium heat, then lower stove to low and simmer for 15 minutes (or until all water is absorbed, tilt pot to check).
- Rest: Remove from stove (lid still on) and rest for 10 minutes.
- Fluff & cool: Remove lid, fluff quinoa with a fork and allow to fully cool before using. (Spread on a tray if you want to speed things up).
Salad:
- Dressing: Place ingredients in a jar and shake well.
- Toss salad! Place quinoa in a large bowl. Add all salad ingredients. Pour over dressing, toss very well.
- Garnish: Either transfer to a large serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle generously with crushed Wasabi Peas and sesame seeds. Devour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Inspection of new herb and veggie garden underway! He approves. 👌🏻
Great garden! I hope Dozer doesn’t “help” you by digging like my Sophie!
I hope so too Karen!! 😣😂 N x
Have not been able to find wasabi peas that are not cross-contaminated with peanuts or tree nuts. Any sub suggestions since you said not to leave out this ingredient? Thanks!
Hi Pineapplemama, if you can’t have any nuts, why not try some fried shallots in their place. N x
5 stars for your method of cooking the quinoa, Nagi!! I did two gluggy batches this morning for a different salad – will try yours next – until I remembered you had just published a quinoa recipe. OMG, lovely fluffy grains – I kept stirring them lovingly after they’d cooled, ha ha. You saved the day again, Nagi.
WOOT! I love this!! N x
Would’ve been more stars if available; this among others I have tried was amazing!! Delicious!! I doubled the recipe thinking it might not be enough; my neighbors got lucky, they to enjoyed the salad❤️
Thanks so much Celia!! 🙌 N x
Absolutely love this recipe! Super delicious 🙂
Thanks Ksenia!! N x
Me gustó el tip de tostar la quinua antes de hervirla. Luce una gran ensalada, yo le añadiré aguacate para darle más sabor. Gracias por una receta más, son fabulosas
Thanks so much Ana!! ❤️ N x
I’ve been looking for a quinoa recipe that might taste good and get the kids to try – this is it! Veggies and flavours are superb. Quinoa is one of those superfoods that never tastes remotely ‘super’, and everyone pretends they like it (or pours on green goddess dressing). Thank you! And thank you for not pretending to like stuff because its trendy.
I hope it’s a hit Jen – Love to know what the family thinks once they try it! N x
Made this tonight to accompany some grilled salmon. Wow, such great fresh flavour and crunch. We will make this again and often. Thanks Nagi.
Perfect Jacquie!! N x
Just a quick tip for you Nagi is to dress your salad evenly is put it into a large plastic bag Ikea have big resealable bags suitable for this saves you having salad every where
You are a mind reader, we went shopping and in our grocery bag was quinoa..so this salad is on the roster must get some red cabbage
I loved the pic of DOZER talking to the neighbor..poor Luca he does the same thing but he is 12 and is now deaf and barks and barks but the poor guy does not know if he is getting a response..but we love him all the same
Absolutely love your recipes X
Thanks so much Alison!! 🥰 N x
You had me laugh out loud with your reaction to the pushing of quinoa by the healthy food lobby… I’m just the same. And I’m not prepared (yet) to grow up LOL. So I will happily make this salad (cos it looks and sounds fabulous)… with plain white rice !
PS Your herb garden looks fantastic, wow !
It will be fabulous with rice, couscous, burghul.. any grain really!! N x
Actually, I’m pretty sure quinoa is high protein! Win, win!
Unfortunately, I can’t keep my Goldens out of my raised beds. Too much of a digging temptation, and it’s been over a year! I hope Dozer is better behaved.
I hope so too Susan!! No midnight snacking or digging for him! N x
Hey what oil can we substitute with grape seed and canola with ?as we don’t get it where I stay .. light olive oil or pomace or veg oil ?
Hi Sweety, any neutral flavoured oil will work fine here! N x
I want to try quinoa, great start with this recipe …
I look forward to reading about
Dozer…
You’ll love this recipe Hatsumi – love to know how you go! N x
I will gladly make your salad, but happily without the Quinoa. Dozer rocks.
I promise the quinoa won’t ruin it for you! 😂 N x
Hi Nagi..I read
Quinoa
Fusion,
healthy
Inflected.
and thought.oh no, please, not Nagi?
Then I read the recipe. Definitely on the to make list. Could definitely be converted.
Genius Nagi strikes again.
I’ve got to be healthy sometimes don’t I??! (follow it up with fried chicken just to be safe 😉) N x
Hi, Nagi
Thank you – great recipe! My boys who are not fans of quinoa liked it very much and even asked me to do it again 🙂 I didn’t have red cabbage, but I added broccoli and avocado. It came out excellent!
Best
Woah, that’s amazing Veronika!!!! N x
Being a healthy eater doesn’t guarantee a love for quinoa… I really, really don’t like quinoa. If I get my courage up, I will try this recipe–it sounds good, but quinoa…
P.S. I adore Dozer.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I know I’m supposed to like quinoa but …I don’t, really.
But Nagi has never steered me wrong yet, so I’ll give it a try.
I finally gave myself permission to stop eating it a few years ago. I always taste the saponin. Now I’m a big fan of pearled barley – great texture, filling, versatile. Just not the same amount of protein, sadly.
You’re just not doing it right Kathryn 😂 Just kidding! But seriously, you could use any grain here and it would be fab! N x
I’m drooling over your garden, so lush and green. Everything is snow covered here.