Quirky Cooking - Tropical Quinoa Porridge (page 42)

[JuicyFruit]

I don't know what happened but this resulted in a honey flavoured watery mess with and a bitter after-taste that even extra toppings (yoghurt/fruit/coconut) could barely disguise .. Even after leaving it till cool so the chia seeds could absorb more liquid neither of us could eat it, so I ended up throwing it all out  

Very disappointed at the waste, and now I have to find something else to do with a near full expensive bag of quinoa flakes as I bought them specifically to make this recipe!

Linked JD

[judydawn]

JuicyFruit, I had to make some of this to see what the problem may be.  I made 1/2 quantity using what I had in the house - skim milk,  used 2 tbspns orange blossom honey, no mesquite powder but all other ingredients as listed and still cooked it 5 minutes.  It was the consistency I like my porridge but I left it sit in the bowl for 5 minutes to see if it thickened up any more.  It didn't but as you can see by the photo, it's thick enough to accommodate the peach & mango yoghurt sitting on top.

The taste is definitely different and mine had that bitter aftertaste as well - I will eat it though. I make one using just chia seeds, honey and coconut milk and it's delicious - I think the coconut milk makes all the difference. I wonder if it's the quinoa flakes which leave the bitter aftertaste in this recipe of QJ's?

As yours was so watery, I wonder if your scales were working properly.  I always check the weight of my MC (mine weighs 25g)before I start any recipe as it ensures correct weight of all ingredients.

[JuicyFruit]

Thanks for testing it Judy .. I thought after I posted that perhaps Jo was using white chia while I used black, and that possibly that absorbs more, but it looks like you may have used black too - unless those specks are vanilla?

Mine was a lot more water than your appears, really liquid with bits of solid in it and not a porridge like consistency at all .. I do know the measuring cup trick and mine has always weighted 30g so that's not it, but of course user error is always a risk ..

I also believe it's the quinoa flakes making it bitter as I make a lot of chia puddings and have never experienced this before - I also eat a lot of steamed whole quinoa and love it ..

For the record I read a comment on Jo's facebook page last night that someone else had made this and likewise couldn't eat it, only they didn't give any details as to why .. Jo replied that possibly the quinoa was old and thus taste bitter, but as mentioned mine was a brand new bag .. Perhaps it's just an acquired taste?!

[Cuilidh]

I believe that if you don't rinse quinoa properly before cooking it it can have a bitter taste, but I don't imagine you can rinse quinoa flakes ... can you? 

[judydawn]

Marina, I actually googled to see if either needed rinsing beforehand as I though I'd read somewhere that one of them needs to be. The answer was no, the flakes have already been rinsed before they were flaked apparently.

I'm going to be having a bowl for breakfast cold this morning so it will be interesting to see how it tastes this time.  My quinoa was fresh too, I don't even know why I bought it.  I have both grains in the pantry but not the flaked quinoa so when I saw it, I remembered seeing recipes which specified the flaked variety so thought I'd better add that to my collection as well.

Update - just had it cold for breakfast.  It has thickened up a bit more overnight and for some reason, this morning it tastes just fine.  Now that's a strange one

[Cuilidh]

Marina, I actually googled to see if either needed rinsing beforehand as I though I'd read somewhere that one of them needs to be.

I had heard that the Australian quinoa needs rinsing ... maybe not??

Good that day two turned out more successful, often second day of some recipes tastes better than day one!

[kmw]

I'm going to give this a go probably tomorrow for breakfast.  I've made it from her blog last year & can't remember what I thought of it but it's not something I've made often.

[judydawn]

This is the general consensus of opinion on rinsing quinoa flakes but maybe it wouldn't hurt to do so anyway.

http://iquitsugar.com/iqsprogram/forums/topic/cooking-quinoa-flakes/

[kmw]

I made this morning - 1/2 serving (milk, chia - black & quinoa flakes), 1tbspns orange blossom honey, 1 tbspn mesquite powder, pinch salt, 1 tsp cinnamon & vanilla paste.  I didn't wash my quinoa flakes & kept the cinnamon & vanilla at stated amounts following the comments of it being bitter.

It initially turned out runny but thicken on standing and other than the honey clumping together as it did not melt, it was not too bad.  I think the mesquite powder made a difference. This is the first time I used mesquite powder, bought it early this year for DH smoothies & never got round to using. It's described as having a caramel flavour so maybe masks the bitter flavour of the quinoa flakes.

I served it with banana, Greek yoghurt & LSA. I thought it nice & only tasted a very slight bitter flavour.

I gave my 22 month DD a spoonful to try & she asked for more, ended up having 2 bowls, so on this basis I will make again as it is an alternative to normal porridge.

[quirkycooking]

Hi guys, I think quinoa flakes are an acquired taste - I know not all of my kids like them. If you can eat oats you could use them instead - I use quinoa to keep it gluten free. You don't need to soak quinoa flakes, but yes, they have a slightly bitter taste which I find the chia and fruit and coconut milk help to reduce. If you like it thicker you can either let it cool, or just add more chia seeds And yes I usually use the white seeds or a mixture of white and black.

If you really just don't enjoy the taste of quinoa, try making the chia pudding instead - you can serve it exactly the same way as this one, or you can make the pretty layered version.

[judydawn]

Thanks Jo, I've just finished my 3rd consecutive bowl of this cold porridge - it was fine cold, only tasted bitter when first made and I ate it hot. 

[cookie1]

I use quinoa a lot as we love it. I haven't made this as yet but I remember Tenina rinsed her quinoa in a Dinner Spinner recipe so I always do now. I can't remember a bitter taste, I am sure one of the family, if not all would have complained.

[meganjane]

I find quinoa flakes quite bitter and prefer soaked quinoa grains. You can get gluten free oats from some specialty health food shops. Oats are naturally gluten (the protein avenin, is much easier to digest than gliadin and glutenin found in wheat) free, but are processed with other grains.

[lozzylooloo]

I've made this recipe a couple of times now ( well, kind of! I tend to tweak slightly depending what I have available). It's definitely a very distinct taste, but I used macro brand quinoa flakes, unrinsed, and didn't notice the real bitter taste of unwashed quinoa.
I think it needs the coconut milk/maple syrup etc to really add flavours, and since I can't have oats or dairy right now, I find it good for breakkie but need to experiment with getting it a bit warmer!
The kids (2&4) were not fans particularly and prefer their normal oats based thermie porridge.

If I could eat oats, I would probably stock with porridge and sultanas, but since I can't, I like this

Unused quinoa flakes can be used to bulk out meatballs etc, or used in moderation in bliss balls, or as part if a gluten free breadcrumb mix etc.

[JuicyFruit]

Thank-you for all the tips - I will definitely try subbing oats