Quinoa and Beans Breakfast Porridge
眉豆藜麥早餐粥
I have been in a low glycemic and low cholesterol diet for a few months due to my health problem, and seeing changes. It isn’t too difficult to maintain. Just be careful when choosing food. Healthy food can be tasty as well. I have beans, and other low GI grains to replace the usual white long and short grain rice that Chinese usually have. This quinoa porridge is what I have constantly for breakfast, sometimes for teatime dessert.
Benefit
Generally speaking, black-eyed pea and ricebean are highly nutritious and associated with many impressive health benefits. Beans are very low in calories and cholesterol, which is a benefit to weight loss. Beans are full of dietary fiber which can solve many digestive issues. Such colorful beans are also packed with antioxidants which protect against the kind of cell damage that may lead to heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Black-eyed peas are especially good sources of soluble fiber, which helps prevent type 2 diabetes by keeping blood sugar balanced.
(another recipe with beans – Winter Gourd and Beans Soup)
Quinoa is rich in fiber, minerals, protein, antioxidants and essential amino acids of human body. Thus it is ranked one of the super food and considered one of the healthiest food in the world. It is much higher in fiber than most grains so for a Chinese who have steamed rice almost daily, it can replace the usual white rice and be mixed with brown rice. Quinoa has a low glycemic index, so it’s a better choice for my blood sugar control diet.
Though black rice can be glutinous rice sometimes, it has a similar amount of fiber to brown rice. Black rice is also among those of the highest in protein. It’s a good source of iron, so in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s good for women after period or giving birth. Most importantly, black rice contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanins found in food. Laboratory research have suggested that anthocyanins may play important roles in helping reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and cancer.
(other recipes of black rice – Coconut Black Rice Pudding, Red Bean and Black Rice Pudding)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this porridge can help to invigorate spleen for eliminating dampness, especially suitable to have in humid spring.
Ingredients – for 6 serving
- Black-eyed pea, 100g
- Ricebean, 100g
- Red quinoa, 50g
- Black rice, 50g
- Crystal sugar, 50g, or any sugar
- Water, 1200ml
Mini tangyuan (optional)
- Glutinous rice flour, 70g
- Water, 60ml
- Sugar, 1tsp
How to do –
- Beans, rice and quinoa all rinsed in water, drained and soaked in water overnight;
- Put them all in a big soup pot, put in 1200ml of water, bring to boil and simmer in medium-low heat for 40-60 minutes till all ingredients turn tender, stir constantly to prevent the porridge sticking on the pot bottom;
- You could season it with salt or sugar.
- Season with 1tsp of salt and have it like any Chinese rice congee; Chinese like to have rice congee for breakfast, sometimes with stir-fried noodles or steamed buns (baozi);
- Season with 50-80g of sugar, you could have it like Cantonese dessert soup, tong-sui. This can be served as teatime dessert. I prepared some mini tangyuan when the porridge simmering. Add about 60ml of water into 70g of glutinous rice flour, little by little, mix and knead to smooth dough; Roll to a long and thin roll; Then make mini tangyuan in fingernail size; Bring a small pot of water to boil, put in the tangyuan, cook till they float on water surface and expand; Drained and put some on top of the porridge.
(Similar recipes – Taro and mini Tang Yuan in Ginger infused Syrup , Black Sesame Sweet Soup with Small Tang Yuan)
- But the healthiest and simplest way to have the porridge, is to be with fruits and nuts.
用料 –
- 眉豆 100克
- 赤小豆 100克
- 红藜麦 50克
- 黑米 50克
- 冰糖 50克
- 水 1200毫升
做法 –
- 这个分量的材料大约是六碗，冲洗几次后浸泡一晚；
- 大约1000到1200毫升水，煮沸后转中小火煮40分钟到一小时就可以，很容易就能煮烂煮至粘稠，按各人喜好放糖或盐调味，我一般放一点冰糖；
- 做粥的时候揉了一点小汤圆，这是比较像广式糖水的做法。70克糯米粉，加约60毫升水，慢慢加入直至捏成团，揉成指甲盖大小的小汤圆，水沸后煮至浮起涨大即可；小汤圆不是必须的，介意的朋友可以不加；
- 搭配水果和果仁是比较健康的吃法。
