A quick stir-fry using quinoa makes a nice alternative to fried rice. Unlike rice, which really should be made ahead and chilled, quinoa can be cooked up fresh and stir-fried right away. This recipe includes cabbage and cubes of eggplant that roast in the oven while you prepare the other ingredients ~ a method that saves on fat, calories, and time!
Stir-Fried Quinoa with Eggplant and Cabbage
Fried quinoa makes a healthful, easy alternative to fried rice in this yummy combination that includes eggplant, cabbage, onion, garlic and egg.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3/4 to 1 lb eggplant, cubed
- Vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 cups cabbage, chopped
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggplant cubes in a bowl, drizzle with a small amount of vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 8 to 12 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Thoroughly rinse the quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Place the quinoa and broth in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil, fluff with a fork and set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and scramble until cooked through. Stir into the cooked quinoa.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Quickly stir in the sriracha, then add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the cabbage is crisp-tender, another 2 minutes.
- Add a little more oil to the pan if needed, then add the quinoa-egg mixture. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Add the soy sauce, toss to combine, then add the eggplant and cilantro. Mix well, drizzle with a little additional sesame oil and serve.
Recipe Notes
We recommend using Chinese eggplant with the tender skin left on for this recipe, but regular globe eggplant will work fine as well ~ you may want to peel it though.
We chose to oven-roast our eggplant because it has a tendency to absorb quite a bit of oil in the frypan. The oven roasting method achieves a nice caramelization without all the excess fat.
About Quinoa:
If you haven’t had the opportunity to cook with quinoa, be sure to check out our article Cooking with Quinoa for some added information and cooking tips. Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.
Hehe says
Really good! First time cooking with quinoa and I have to say, this stir fried hits the spot! I just coated the eggplant with maïzena before putting it in the air fryer to have a nice crisp.
Would do it again!
Lynne Webb says
Putting the eggplant in the air fryer is a great idea. Thanks for sharing that.
Joe says
This was quite tasty and easy to make. We substituted coconut aminos for the soy sauce (and cut it to 1/8 cup) to reduce the sodium content, and it still was very satisfying.
Kit Kelley says
I sooooo wanted this to taste like fried rice, which it didn’t. But once I added more soy, more sesame oil and some ginger, it came out tasting much closer to the real thing. I have been trying to find ways to use up an abundance of quinoa I’m saddled with.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Kit,
Sorry to hear you were disappointed with the flavor of the quinoa. The texture of quinoa is similar to rice, but it does have its own distinctive flavor. Quinoa also has some nutritional benefits over rice – more protein and fiber and fewer calories and carbohydrates.
René says
I had a TON more vegetables. But the ratio of sauce flavors is great! So satisfying.
Edward Meindl says
Made this with 1.5 cups of farrow instead of quinoa. Excellent.
Likestocook says
I have made this a couple of times already, with my own variations, and it is quite the hit! You can skip ordering out chinese for this homemade version. Try adding sauted mushrooms, shrimp, and toss in 2 chopped fresh green scallions at the end. Try it with half quoina and half buckwheat for variety! So easy!