Kañiwa ✦

Kañiwa

What it is

Quinoa's small cousin carries saponins that are not bitter, so unlike quinoa it was never washed before use — it was toasted whole and milled into a travelling flour called cañihuaco. It ripens above 3,800 metres, through frost and hail that flatten most other crops.

In the kitchen

Toast it dry in a pan until it crackles and smells of hazelnut before you add liquid — fifteen minutes in twice its volume is enough. It stays crunchy rather than fluffing, so use it for texture, not as a pilaf.

Goes with

Quinoa Corn Potato Avocado Lime Peanut Cilantro / Coriander

Same species

Huauzontle Quinoa

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