I am writing this post as I finish the leftovers of this healthy, filling, and quite attractive salad. A grain native to Peru and Bolivia, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a lesser known grain that deserves more attention. The appearance and fluffy texture remind me of couscous, but the ease of cooking makes it as convenient as rice. As a good source for lysine, magnesium, and iron, I really should consider having this more often than white rice.

Quinoa is not very popular in China, but some supermarkets carry quinoa from an organic company based in Hong Kong called Green Dot Dot. I cooked the quinoa in my rice cooker with enough water to cover it by 1 centimeter. In a separate bowl I mixed together cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced crumpled shallots, toasted cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. The resulting salad has an interesting textural mix of slightly crunchy quinoa, soft black beans, and juicy cherry tomatoes, punctuated by the alluring scent of toasted cumin.

Next up: kung pao chicken with a side of quinoa?

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Related recipes:

Eggplant, Cumin, and Black Bean Salad

Sichuan Cucumber Salad

Tofu Almond Salad Bowl

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Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 teapoon whole cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
Cilantro, chopped (optional for mixing into salad)
Cilantro springs for garnish

Cook quinoa in a pot or rice cooker with enough water to cover by 1 centimeter. 

In a dry pan, toast cumin seeds until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

In a large bowl bowl, toss together cherry tomatoes, shallots (crumple them with your hands), olive oil, cayenne, black pepper, and toasted cumin, optional chopped cilantro, and 1 teaspoon salt.  When quinoa is done, allow it to cool slightly, then add to the bowl. Mix everything well, and add more salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve.