Name: Sopa de Quinua (Andean Quinoa Vegetable Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients: ⅓ cup Quinoa, rinsed well; 3 cup Vegetable Stock, low-salt if possible; 120 g Potato, peeled and diced; 100 g Pumpkin, peeled and diced; ½ cup Carrot, diced; ⅓ cup Green Peas, fresh or frozen; ¼ cup Celery, finely chopped; ½ cup Onion, finely chopped; 2 clove Garlic, minced; 1 tbsp Neutral Oil, for sautéing; ½ tsp Ground Cumin, for seasoning; ½ tsp Dried Oregano, lightly crushed; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped; ¾ tsp Salt, adjust to taste; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if possible

Sopa de Quinua (Andean Quinoa Vegetable Soup)

50 mintotal

25 min hands-on25 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild

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Method

Heat the neutral oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
3–4 min
Add the ground cumin and dried oregano. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
30 sec
Add the quinoa, vegetable stock, potato, pumpkin, carrot, salt, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover partly, and simmer for 22–25 minutes until the quinoa opens and the vegetables are tender.
22–25 min
Add the green peas and cook for 3 more minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the coriander leaves. Rest for 2 minutes before serving.
2 min

How to tell it's done

The quinoa should look slightly opened, the broth lightly thickened, and the vegetables tender but not mushy.

Getting it right

Tip

Rinse the quinoa well before cooking to keep the soup clean-tasting and free from bitterness.

What to serve it with

Serve hot as a light dinner or lunch, with extra coriander leaves on top if desired.

Common mistakes

The soup turns thick and claggy.: Quinoa keeps swelling after it opens, and this soup will tighten considerably as it stands. Keep it looser than looks right and hold back some stock to add at the end.
It tastes bitter.: Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under running water before it goes in. The saponin coating is genuinely bitter and rinsing is the only way to remove it.

Substitutions

Pumpkin — Use another firm orange squash if pumpkin is unavailable.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge and thickens to near-porridge; loosen with stock when reheating. It freezes for two months, though the potato goes floury. Add the coriander fresh each time.

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Ingredients