Indian Spiced Quinoa Patties/Cutlets

Of late, every other recipe you come across is made using Quinoa the "super grain", but did you know, its actually a relative of green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss Chard?I had never made Quinoa, until the inspiration came at a recent gathering, when a good friend brought the most delicious Quinoa salad with cucumber, onions, avocadoes etc and it just tasted wonderful.I came home and my imagination started running wild with all the things I could do with Quinoa.That's the beauty of this grain.Its versatile enough to be incorporated in many ways from salads, to pilafs to cutlets and the options are endless.

I wanted to make it with an Indian twist and my first experiment with Quinoa began (I know, it really took this long ;))!The addition of peas was a great idea, since it perfectly balances the nutty flavor of the Quinoa with its sweetness and gives a perfect texture to the cutlets.The spices add that earthy taste and flavor the whole dish.The ginger and garlic is crucial for that smoky deliciousness that is so important for an Indian recipe and finally coriander gives it the much required freshness.

Talking about its health benefits, I could fill pages and pages worth of goodness, but I'll keep it short and sweet!Its not only high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein which means that it has a well balanced amino acid profile that is essential for tissue growth and repair.Rich in magnesium it also helps people with migraine by reducing the frequency of headache episodes.Its good for the heart, rich in anti-oxidants,full of fiber and the list goes on!Its definitely one of the healthiest foods around.
The cutlets were a success and even my picky eight year old loved it.That tells me I need to come up with even more exciting variations of Quinoa.Watch this space!

Source-WHfoods

Indian spiced Quinoa Patties/Cutlets

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Ingredients:
Quinoa-1 cup 
Green peas-1/2 cup
Ginger-1/4 inch crushed
Garlic-2 cloves crushed
Ground cumin-1 tsp
Ground Coriander-1 tsp
Green Chillies (optional)-2 chopped 
Coriander leaves-1/2 cup chopped
Oil- for shallow frying
Salt- to taste
Breadcrumbs-2 cups

Batter:
All purpose flour/maida-1/2 cup
Water-1 1/4 cup

Process:
Cook the quinoa according to instructions.Microwave the peas in a bowl for about 2 mins.
Mix the flour and water and keep the batter ready in a bowl.Keep the breadcrumbs ready in a plate.
Take a deep dish.Mix Quinoa, peas and all the ingredients except oil.

Flatten between your palms to make round patties,

Dip these patties into the flour batter and roll into the breadcrumbs.

• You can either bake them in a 400 degree oven.Spray with cooking spray and bake until they're golden brown.
• You can deep fry these in a deep skillet until golden.
• You can shallow fry like I've done here.

Serve hot or at room temperature with some ketchup or chutney!Enjoy!