Quinoa isn’t a new food. For thousands of years it has been served as an integral staple of Inca’s diet. It seems it was the first civilization that embraced the crop. Incas preferred quinoa to corn and potato believing it gave power and endurance to their warriors. Quinoa was also used in ceremonies and was called “the mother grain” which gives you an idea of how important Quinoa was to their civilization. But in 16th century the situation changed. The Spanish arrived in South America and invaded the Incas. In an effort to fully eliminate Inca’s civilization they outlawed the use of quinoa and destroyed all the sowings. The use of quinoa had been forgotten for centuries. But since the 1970s there has been increasing interest to this ancient crop and for good reason!
Indeed, Incas used quinoa to improve endurance and to treat some ailments like liver problems, tuberculosis, appendicitis and urinary tract infections. When applied as a compress both cooked and ground quinoa has been noted to reduce pain and to discolour bruises. Quinoa was also observed to promote women’s health during pregnancy following an increase in the quality of the milk during breast feeding. Because of its high calcium content quinoa helped to heal broken bones in native Andean societies. Now, we must not forget the other ingredients in our flavourful chicken curry recipe which undoubtedly have their healthy advantages too. Chicken meat protein contains all the essential amino acids while being low in cholesterol comparably to pork. Also the plain yoghurt in our spicy garlic-tahini sauce is a source of healthy promoting lactic bacteria.
So the next time that you feel like exploring some new flavours and tastes then try this delicious recipe, and maybe quinoa will become the true Queenoa of the grains that you like!
Cooking Time :
10-15 mins
Serves :
6-8
Ingredients:
For the Chicken
200g/7oz skinless chicken breast fillets
100g/3.5oz plain yogurt
1 tsp. curry powder
pinch of salt
For the Garlic-Tahini Sauce
50g/1.75oz plain yoghurt
15g/0.5oz tahini paste
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
For Serving
150g/5.25oz cooked quinoa
150g/5.25oz roma tomatoes, diced
150g/5.25oz cucumber, diced
75g/2.75oz onions, diced
Method:
Stir together yoghurt and curry powder in a bowl.
Add chicken breasts and leave in the chiller overnight to marinate.
Combine yoghurt, tahini, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir well and set aside.
Season chicken breasts lightly with salt.
Grill for 7-10 minutes per side.
Take off the grill and leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Arrange cooked quinoa, cooked chicken strips, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions in a bowl.
