Name: Pork Fried Quinoa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 large or 4 small servings
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa; Salt, to taste; 1 1/2 cups cold water; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 cup diced smoked ham; 1/2 cup diced peppers; 1/2 cup sliced green onions (whites and greens separated); 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar; 1–2 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste; Sriracha or any hot sauce, to taste; Toasted sesame seeds, to taste

Pre-flight checklist

Before you start

Rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer under cold water for about 1 minute and drain well
Dice the ham and peppers and slice the green onions

Flight plan

Method

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with the cold water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover, turn to low and simmer about 15 minutes, until tender.
Take it off the heat, leave it covered for 5 minutes, then fluff and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the ham, peppers and the white parts of the green onions for about 5 minutes, until the ham starts to brown.
Add the garlic, take the pan off the heat, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
Return to medium-low heat, add the quinoa and stir 2 to 3 minutes until hot through.
Off the heat, toss with the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha and sesame seeds. Top with the green onion tops.

Notes & tips

Chef John uses a little less water than usual on purpose, so the quinoa stays slightly al dente for frying.

Pork Fried Quinoa

Before you start

Method

Notes & tips

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