Equipment
Ingredients
Base Elements
- 150 g red quinoa, rinsed well
- 300 ml water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 400 g cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- 15 ml olive oil
Fava Beans
- 150 g shelled fava beans
Curry-Lemon Dressing
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 45 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 10 ml maple syrup
- 5 g mild curry powder
- 1 garlic, minced
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Garnish
- 10 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 338 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 37 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 55 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Potassium
- 655 mg
- Calcium
- 63 mg
- Iron
- 3.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 110 mg
- Phosphorus
- 259 mg
- Zinc
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 16 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 66 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 34 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.26 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.26 mg
- Niacin
- 1.7 mg
- Folate
- 167 mcg
- Water
- 217 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Combine the rinsed red quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa germs have popped out. Remove from heat and let sit covered.
Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil in a mixing bowl. Spread them in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until deeply caramelized and tender.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Drop in the shelled fava beans and blanch for 3 minutes. Immediately drain through a fine mesh strainer and plunge into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process.
Once the fava beans are cool enough to handle, use your thumbnail to break the tough, opaque outer skin of each bean and gently squeeze to release the bright green inner cotyledon. Discard the skins.
In a small bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, curry powder, minced garlic, and black pepper. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is fully emulsified and slightly thickened.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the fluffed red quinoa, roasted cauliflower, and peeled fava beans. Pour the curry-lemon dressing over the top and gently toss to coat all ingredients evenly.
Garnish the salad with freshly chopped cilantro. Let the dish rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to allow the warm quinoa and cauliflower to absorb the flavors of the dressing before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Double-peeling fava beans reveals their brilliant green color and sweet, tender flavor. Skipping this step leaves a tough skin that detracts from the delicate texture of the salad.
- Rinsing quinoa vigorously in a fine mesh strainer before cooking is critical to remove saponins, a natural bitter coating that acts as a pest deterrent for the plant.
- Blooming the curry powder by whisking it into the dressing and letting it sit helps hydrate the spices and release fat-soluble flavor compounds, making the entire dish more aromatic.
- To keep the sodium low while maximizing flavor, this recipe relies heavily on the aggressive acidity of the lemon and the warming complexity of the curry to stimulate the palate.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store dressing separately if possible to maintain optimal texture.
Reheating: Serve chilled or at room temperature. Can be gently warmed in the microwave for 60 seconds if desired.
Troubleshooting
Quinoa is mushy or waterlogged
Cause: Too much cooking liquid or extended boiling time
Fix: Spread the overcooked quinoa out on a baking sheet and place in a warm oven for 10 minutes to evaporate excess moisture
Prevention: Measure liquid exactly at a 1 to 2 ratio by volume and monitor carefully at the end of simmering
Fava beans taste tough or bitter
Cause: The waxy outer skin was not removed after blanching
Fix: Pick through the assembled salad to manually remove skins, otherwise unfixable
Prevention: Always perform the secondary peeling step to remove the individual bean skins
Cauliflower steamed instead of roasting
Cause: Baking sheet was overcrowded or oven temperature was too low
Fix: Cannot be fixed once fully soft, but still edible and nutritious
Prevention: Ensure florets have ample space on the pan, using two pans if necessary
Cultural Context
Quinoa has been cultivated in the Andean regions of South America for over five thousand years, revered as the mother grain by the Inca empire. Fava beans, conversely, are an ancient Mediterranean staple traditionally celebrating the arrival of spring. Bringing these geographically distinct ingredients together under a warm, Indian-inspired spice profile creates a globally influenced fusion dish that honors the nutritional powerhouse of each culture's foundational ingredients.
