Quinua Atamalada, Creamy Peruvian Quinoa
Quinua atamalada is comfort food from the Peruvian highlands, quinoa cooked past fluffy into something soft, creamy, and spoonable, the way a tamal is moist rather than dry. Aji amarillo gives it a warm yellow color and gentle heat, while the traditional richness from cheese and evaporated milk is replaced here by pureed white beans and a splash of soy milk, which also push the protein up without any dairy or oil. Rinse the quinoa well or it will taste soapy, and stop cooking while it is still loose, since it keeps thickening off the heat. Sweet corn folded in at the end nods to the choclo of an Andean plate. It works as a hearty side or the base of a bowl.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Aji amarillo paste
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1/2 cup Blended white beans
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened soy milk
- 3/4 cup Frozen corn
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion and garlic in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water until soft, about 6 minutes. This aromatic base, cooked down in water rather than oil, is the aderezo that starts nearly every Peruvian pot.
- Stir in the aji amarillo paste and cook it for 1 minute. Blooming the chile paste in the hot pan before any liquid goes in wakes up its fruit and mellows its raw edge, which is why Peruvian cooks fry it first every time.
- Add the rinsed quinoa, the bouillon, and 1.75 cups (410 ml) water. Rinsing the quinoa first is not optional: the coating of saponins on the seed tastes soapy and bitter if you skip it. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the little germ rings uncurl, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the blended white beans, soy milk, and nutritional yeast, and cook a few minutes more until it turns loose and creamy. Atamalada means cooked to the soft, moist texture of a tamal, and the pureed beans do that job here, lending body and protein where a Peruvian kitchen would stir in queso and evaporated milk.
- Fold in the corn and let it warm through. Finish off the heat with the cilantro, lime juice, and black pepper. The squeeze of lime at the end sharpens the whole pan and stands in for the salt, so taste before reaching for anything else.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 290 calories, 13 g protein, 8 g fiber, 110 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
