Food 52

One-Pot Red Curry Quinoa With Coconut & Greens

Looking for a way to jazz up quinoa and make it a one-pot meal? Here’s what to do: Cook it in an intensely fragrant, spicy-savory-sweet mix of red curry paste and coconut water. While you’re at it, steam a big pile of greens in the same pot (a nod to this One-Pot Kale & Quinoa Pilaf). The quinoa will be infused with bold, bright flavor and stained a beautiful red from the curry paste, and by using coconut water versus coconut milk, it’ll be light and fluffy (a trick borrowed from Andrea Nguyen’s Genius Vibrant Turmeric Coconut Rice). To finish, dress the whole thing with slivered green onions, lime zest, peanuts, and coconut oil. The coconut oil amplifies the rich, sweet, coconutty flavor of the dish, another clever trick borrowed from Nguyen’s Vibrant Turmeric Coconut Rice. While hearty enough to stand alone, this dish pairs well with grilled or roasted meat, fish, or tofu. It’s also infinitely flexible, so feel free to make substitutions based on what you have on hand. For example, use different greens, such as spinach or collards. Swap quinoa for farro or rice (adjusting cooking times as needed). Switch up the mix-ins—cilantro or chives would be lovely, as would the addition of feta or goat cheese. Play around with different brands of red curry paste and coconut water, which vary in their respective levels of heat and sweetness. I use pulp-free coconut water when making this dish, but you can easily use coconut water with pulp—just strain out the chunks of coconut before cooking with it (and save them for a snack!).