Trying Some New Grains – Quinoa, Millet, and Amaranth Review

Recently I started looking into new grains to try out as alternatives to common grains such as wheat and rice. The first grain I tried out was Quinoa which seems to be growing in popularity and can be found pretty easily at most stores. It is pretty easy to make and has a similar taste and texture to rice but has more protein. It can be a little more expensive compared to rice, but I find it is a good option to add to the regular rotation as a staple grain.

Another grain I tried out was Millet. This grain looks like little round beads. It cooks very much like the other grains with a ratio of 1 cup grain to 2 cups water. It also has a good amount of protein like Quinoa. The end result is a fluffy grain that has a little bit of a corn tortilla taste. I was pleased with the outcome overall and liked it enough that I will probably add it to the regular rotation of grains. Not to mention, the price for Millet is pretty reasonable and I found it to be less expensive compared to some of the other grains.

The final grain I tried out was Amaranth. This one has very tiny grains almost like sand. The directions said to rinse the grain first, but I'm not sure how they expect you to rinse it considering the grains are so small. A strainer would probably not work unless it was super fine, and trying to rinse them in the pot does not work because some of them float and some of them sink and they kind of stick together. They also seems to be affected by static electricity so they can be kind of hard to work with.

Cooking the Amaranth was pretty straight forward like most of the grains. I did not like the cooking aroma very much. I'm not sure if it would be any better if I was able to rinse them ahead of time. After it wass done cooking, I found the grains to be about the same size and they held their shape well. They have an odd texture when eating them because they are so small that you can't really chew them, but they have enough substance where you feel like they should be chewable. Overall I did not notice much of a flavor from the Amaranth. Based on this first experience I would probably not rush back to buy it again.

If you are looking for some new grains to try, I would recommend Quinoa and Millet as both have a good amount of nutrition, are easy to cook, and have a pretty good taste when mixed with other ingredients and seasonings.

Are there any other grains you have tried that you would recommend? Feel free to leave a comment about them below.

Update 2-14-18:
I tried out one more grain called Bulgur. It is a wheat that has been parboiled, dried, and cracked into smaller pieces. The grains are similar in size and appearance to brown rice. I choose this grain because it has a quick cooking time at about 12 minutes. Overall the aroma while cooking was pretty good. The taste is mild as most of these grains tend to be. Texture is similar to brown rice but possibly a little more firm. This grain has a good amount of protein as well at 6g per serving. Overall I was pleased with this grain and would recommend it as an alternative option to rice.