Thai Curry Stir-fry with Quinoa

This is probably one of my favorite meals.  And, it's packed with nutritional benefits too! Fresh vegetables, whole grains and high fiber. And you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, so it's great for cleaning out the fridge. But, the best part? It's a one-bowl meal. I really like meals where you just need a bowl to eat them. Everything can mix together, and something about it makes it feel warm and cozy. (Maybe because I can wrap my cold hands around the warm bowl?)

Now, there are two ways you can make this. You can either make the curry sauce from scratch, or cheat and use a jarred curry sauce. I cheated. I used Trader Joe's red curry sauce. And, it was awesome.

I always get water going to cook my grain first (whether it's quinoa or brown rice, or whatever). While you're waiting for the water to boil, get the vegetables chopped. I had some help with the chopping in the kitchen!

The other way I cheat when cooking quinoa is to skip the rinse! (For shame, I know). I tried it once, and what a pain! After all those little grains get wet, they stick to everything! They stick to the colander you used to rinse them, they stick to the spoon you had to use to scoop them out, and there are bound to be little quinoa grains haunting your kitchen for days after. So, I skip this step. I know, quinoa supposedly has a bitter soap-like coating on the grain that can make your quinoa taste bitter. But, I haven't noticed a change in taste at all. If I did, I might put up with the pain of rinsing the quinoa. For now, though, I am officially NOT a quinoa rinser.

I do like my quinoa fluffy, though. And here's the trick I use for that. Once all the water is absorbed and the grains are cooked through, remove from heat, put a cotton towel over the pot, and replace the lid. Let the quinoa sit like this until you are ready to serve. I'm not sure why this works. Maybe something about the towel absorbing the steam so the quinoa doesn't get too mushy from just sitting around?

I think this is one of those dinners you can make quickly on a busy weeknight. In the time it takes to cook the quinoa, you can have your veggies chopped and sautéing away and dinner can be ready in about 1/2 hour. Not to bad! Plus you get a bonus hand-warmer from holding the bowl. And, it's pretty tasty too!

Use this recipe as a guide. Use whatever vegetables you have. And, you can vary the amounts depending on how big your pan is, and how many people will be eating.


Thai Curry Stir-Fry with Quinoa


1 c dry quinoa
2 cups water or broth
2-3 cloves garlic
3 small eggplant, chopped into large bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 sliced carrots
3 large handfuls spinach
1 can bamboo shoots
1 block extra firm tofu, sliced
1 jar red curry sauce
olive oil

Pour water or broth into medium-sized saucepan and bring to boil. When boiling, add quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes. After the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat. Place cotton towel over pan and replace the lid. Let sit until ready to serve.

While waiting for water to boil, begin chopping and slicing all your vegetables. Then, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and briefly fry the tofu on all sides, remove tofu from pan and add garlic, onions, and carrots. Sauté until they begin to soften, then add eggplant and bamboo shoots. Once all the vegetables are softened, add the curry sauce and spinach. Cook for a few more minutes to wilt the spinach.

Then spoon quinoa into a bowl and top with the vegetable curry.