A new supergrain that packs a mean protein punch has found favour with the health conscious
Deepika Padukone is eating it, five-stars hotels are proudly displaying it on their menus alongside blue cheese and almost every nutritionist is including it in her diet plans. Quinoa (say KEEN-wah) is undoubtedly generating a lot of buzz these days. From being unheard of in India, the tiny and tasteless seed has now become a staple, and even replaced rice and rotis, on the dinner plates of the swish and health conscious in metros. Just walk into health food store Modern Bazaar in New Delhi’s posh Vasant Vihar market to see how quickly quinoa packets are flying off the shelves. At least 30 packs imported from Germany are sold at the store and its branches in Gurgaon and Saket each day. The steep cost — Rs 750 for 500 gm — is no deterrent, says owner Kunal Kumar. In Mumbai, too, there is such a craze for quinoa that Shailarna Vaze, who runs a sushi delivery service called Ninja Sushi, had to introduce a special range wherein she replaced the vinegared rice, the chief ingredient of the Japanese rolls, with the superfood. And, the Yoga House, a café in Mumbai’s suburb Bandra, is offering quinoa and hummus burgers. Though quinoa is a recent discovery in health circles, it was first cultivated nearly 5,000 years ago in the arid, high mountains of Bolivia and Peru. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization and since been consumed consistently by people of the mountainous regions of South America.
Wondering what the secret of quinoa’s sudden global superstardom is? The answer lies in its high protein quotient — more than any other grain. “It has as much protein as meat,” says Shonali Sabarwal, a macrobiotic nutritionist, explaining why it has earned titles like “mother grain” and “vegetarian caviar”.
The list of health benefits of quinoa is long. It is gluten-free, contains all eight essential amino acids, has high level of
antioxidants — mainly vitamin E — and is rich in B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, potassium, iron, copper and magnesium. It is also free of cholesterol and trans fats.
Better still, though quinoa acts like cereals such as rice or couscous, it is not a grain at all. It is actually the fruit of broadleaf plant in the same family as spinach and beets. It just masquerades well. “Even though quinoa is all protein, it tricks the mind and makes you feel like you have eaten a nice bowl of rice, which is all carbs, and satiates one’s craving,” says Jyoti Kumar, a Delhi-based make-up artist, who eats a quinoa and veggies pulao at least thrice a week.
This feeling of satisfaction is what makes quinoa the perfect choice for people who want to lose weight but can’t go to bed after eating just a lean chicken breast or grilled fish, considering the Indian habit of having rice or rotis with every meal. “Quinoa is also very high in fibre. It gives one all the roughage we need but normally don’t get,” says fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala, who runs Body Image gym in Bandra.
The pilates expert recommends quinoa to all her clients, which includes many B-town celebrities. “Deepika has really taken to it. Katrina not so much. Shahzahn Padamsee likes it a lot,” says Karachiwala. She adds that Zarine Khan has almost completely “switched” to quinoa. The young actor, who promises to wow audiences with a sexy, toned body in the upcoming Housefull 2, has admitted she went from a whopping 100 kg to her current 57 kg thanks to the exercise and diet — which included lots of quinoa — she was put on by Karachiwala.
Filmmaker and producer Mozez Singh, who consults Sabharwal, too, swears by quinoa. Singh follows a macrobiotic diet in which brown rice is a must-have but he has now replaced the rice with quinoa. “Brown rice makes me feel bloated,” he says.
But is all the hype around quinoa justified? “Quinoa is excellent. But I would still consider brown rice the mother grain as it has much more insoluble fibre. Besides, the easily available and inexpensive Rajgira (Amaranth) is equally good. It’s just that it is still in the closet,” says Sabarwal.
The light yellow quinoa seeds have a fluffy texture when cooked, and a mild nutty flavor which makes it blend with all kinds of cuisines and ingredients. Read food blogs online and you will see that there is no dearth of desi quinoa recipes — try quinoa khichdi, bisibele bhat and even quinoa upma if you please. Body Image stocks quinoa flour, too, so people who can’t do without rotis, have the option of eating this high-protein version.
Of course, quinoa is better known for its exotic preparations. Manish Mehrotra, executive chef at Indian Accent in Delhi, has concocted a goji berry confit accompanied by servings of wok tossed quinoa.
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