Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say.
That’s what brought me to concoct this recipe for Pork Fried Quinoa. It worked so well and I piqued the curiosity of my Facebook friends so much, I decided to write out the recipe and share it with you.
My husband is diabetic so I’m constantly looking for ways to tweak our long loved homestyle recipes to accommodate his changing dietary needs. But no matter how much pork, chicken, or egg I added to our favorite Fried Rice recipe, his glucose always spiked the next day. Our daughter introduced us to quinoa, and I immediately noticed that it didn’t impact him as much as rice did.
Quinoa (pronounce KIN-wa), for the uninformed, is a seed product, native to the Andean region of South America. It’s not really a cereal grain but is cooked like cereal. It has more protein, fiber, and other nutrients than even brown rice, and in my humble opinion, is far more palatable than brown rice too. Hey, Preacher Creature likes it—it must be okay. And the final bonus? It cooks faster and easier than even white rice. You’ll find many recipes for using it in spiced up side dishes but we have enjoyed it just plain with a little butter or served with stir fry instead of rice. (See an article about quinoa here. )
But I missed my fried rice. It’s my original recipe too. So I tried substituting quinoa for the rice and left everything else the same. WINNER! At least, I think so. I’ll share the recipe with you and let you be the judge.
The amount and type of meat (chicken or pork) and veggies (I’d use more cabbage) are totally negotiable. Try it my way first, then adjust as you prefer. Let me know what you do. Obviously, I’m very open to tweaking recipes!
Pork Fried Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil divided
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 medium carrot thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped cabbage (optional)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce divided
- 1 pork steak, pork chop, or chicken breast 1/2-1 lb.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tsp oil
Instructions
- Sauté onion in one tablespoon heated oil in saucepan till almost tender. Cut pork or chicken into small pieces. Add to onion and stir fry till meat is brown. Remove to a separate bowl. Heat second tablespoon of oil. Add quinoa and stir constantly for about 1 minute to toast.
- Add pork and onion mixture, carrot, mushrooms, cabbage, chicken broth, and one tablespoon soy sauce. Stir and bring to gentle boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and let simmer 20 minutes or until all moisture is absorbed.
- Beat egg with second tablespoon soy sauce. Set stove at medium heat. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small skillet. Pour egg mixture in skillet. Let cook, lifting the edges so uncooked egg will flow underneath, like you would in cooking an omelet. When eggs are almost set, flip the eggs over in the skillet. Use a knife to cut the eggs into small strips. Add to quinoa and stir gently. Cover and cook 3-5 more minutes.
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