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Peruvian Quinoa Stew with Queso Fresco
The Peruvian quinoa stew called quinua atamalada is thick and hearty and typically seasoned with aji amarillo, a yellow-orange chili widely used in Peruvian cuisine. For our version, we approximated aji amarillo’s flavor by using a yellow bell pepper plus a habanero. The habanero provides only subtle heat because the pod is merely cut in half, not minced, but if you wish to minimize spiciness, remove the seeds from the chili halves. Queso fresco is a salty, milky Mexican cheese with a firm, slightly crumbly texture; its savoriness contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the vegetables and lends the stew a delicious richness. If you like, garnish with finely chopped onion tossed with fresh lime juice.
4-6
Servings
Tip
Don't undercook the onion and tomato mixture. The goal is to evaporate the moisture and create a concentrated flavor base for seasoning the stew.
FAST: 1 hour 10 minutes
Slow: 4½ to 5½ hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
3
tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
-
1
medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Directions
-
01On a 6-quart Instant Pot select More/High Sauté. Heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, 1½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the moisture evaporates and onion is softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the bell pepper, chili, paprika, cumin and oregano, then cook, stirring often, until the spices begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and 2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits; distribute the mixture in an even layer.
Pardon the interruption
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July 9, 2023
Such A Nice Surprise!
Made this for guests and we all loved it. A nice bit of heat stuck around from the discarded habanero. Might have to adjust the amount of water added near the end when making on the stovetop, but it was really nice as more of a stew than a soup.
Hi Alan -
The two cups of water gets stirred in before sealing the Instant Pot and pressure cooking. The quinoa will absorb most of that liquid.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
That's in step 1, but in step two it says to "stir in 2 cups water and re-cover without locking the lid in place, then let stand for 5 minutes." I'm guessing this was a mistake.
That's in step 1, but in step two it says to "stir in 2 cups water and re-cover without locking the lid in place, then let stand for 5 minutes." I'm guessing this was a mistake.
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Good flavor. It turned out more like a soup than a stew for me though.