Quinoa is available as grains, flakes or flour.

You can sometimes find wild quinoa, small black grains that resemble poppy seed. The wild grains add a nice crunch, but are rarely used on their own.

Quinoa is also found in mixed grain preparations (rice cakes and puffed quinoa, muesli, etc.)

 Rinse the quinoa in cold water until the grain stops foaming to remove the saponine that coats it. It's an essential step for removing the bitterness.

Note: Some Quinoa has already been fully cleaned and washed prior to packaging and does not need rinsing.

 Grain
Place the quinoa in twice its volume of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes. Once cooked, it becomes transparent, with its small spiral white germ visible: it has a tendency to separate from the grain itself.

Its crunchy texture is paired with a slightly nutty flavor. Quinoa makes a simple and practical alternative to rice and pasta. It can be cooked as a pilaf, but there are other ways of serving it: substitute it for other grains (in tabbouleh, couscous, risotto, etc.), in stuffed vegetables or poultry, added to soups, or even in composed salads.