Ideas for Amaranth

November 28, 2023 11:45 AM

I have a bag of amaranth that I'd like to use up. I've tried it as porridge, which was nice, but I find it takes too long to cook to be a quick and easy breakfast option. Other than serve it like rice/quinoa as a side dish, what else could I do with it?
posted by iamsuper to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I have heard (have not tried it myself) that it makes an adorable tiny popcorn.
posted by fingersandtoes at 11:53 AM on November 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Like other grains, it's also nice mixed into a green salad.
posted by coffeecat at 11:58 AM on November 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

You could test some to see if it sprouts and then use some for microgreens. I say microgreens but you can let them get as big as you want. Amaranth is the same plant family as spinach and the greens are very tasty. You can get microgreen kits and supplies and grow them inside all winter.

Unless the seeds specifically are for sprouts, I would not use them for sprouts. They would not have been tested for pathogens, etc. and sprouts grown from them may not be safe to eat. Microgreens grown in soil (or some soilless mix) are fine with usual food safety practices--i.e. whatever you would do with greens grown in a garden (washing, etc.)
posted by sevenless at 12:01 PM on November 28, 2023

If you soaked the amaranth overnight would it cook quicker and be a better breakfast option? Or if you cooked it in a rice cooker with a keep warm function so you could start it at night and in the morning it would be ready?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:07 PM on November 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

It is the world's biggest pain to pop but puffed amaranth candy, allegria, is really tasty. I used to make it with a vegan syrup from agave, pepitas and raisins. It will not use up very much of your allegria, since you'll only be popping a few tablespoons full, but it's great candy and is suitable for most with dietary restrictions.

If you look online, you can see videos of professionals popping amaranth in these huge wide wok-like pans and it is amazing - or at least it's amazing once you see how tricky it is to pop.

If memory serves, I did it like this: I had a bowl of unpopped amaranth on the stove on an unheated burner, then I had the tall pot in which I was popping it heating on a burner, then on my right I had a big bowl to dump the popped stuff into. I had an oven mitt on my right hand. You have to work fast or it will burn - dump a tablespoon of the grains into the pan, shake them around a little until they are just popped then dump them into the bowl immediately, return the pan to the heat, repeat. You get into the rhythm.

But again, the professionals are wrangling these huge pans and huge amounts of amaranth, and I am amazed.

Granted, this sounds like a lot of work - but it's fun work if you like cooking.
posted by Frowner at 12:32 PM on November 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

Bob's Red Mill has some ideas for you, including Alegria, which looks delish. Their porridge only takes 10 minutes, though. so maybe you have a different type.
posted by hydra77 at 1:20 PM on November 28, 2023

I like popped amaranth mixed into yogurt (along with some sliced almonds and dried coconut...).

To pop, I heat up a wok, dry, and then when it's hot put in about 1 tbsp at a time. It should start popping immediately, if it doesn't, try a little hotter (you may have to ditch the first batch if it burns instead of popping). Shake it around, and when it's mostly popped, put it into a bowl and keep going.

(I wish I was in Mexico where you can buy bags of already popped amaranth. but alas, they don't have that in Alaska.)
posted by leahwrenn at 1:22 PM on November 28, 2023

Add it to falafel. Add it to granola. Make taboulleh.
posted by tofu_crouton at 2:07 PM on November 28, 2023

Oh, about popping the amaranth - I actually used my tallest pan because when I was popping it, it seemed to fly up into the air. I think if you did use something really wide like a big wok, it might just fall down into the pot again, but you will need to be prepared.
posted by Frowner at 2:16 PM on November 28, 2023

I sometimes add a tablespoon or two to the pot when I'm making rice or quinoa. It won't use it up quickly, but it adds a bit of texture and flavour.

Here are some recipes for zakkoku - a mix of a few different grains that can be added to rice. I first read of it in the cookbook Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh.
posted by lulu68 at 2:38 PM on November 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Going in a different direction: is it dry? Can you grind or process it into flour? I've made cookies with amaranth flour, sugar and butter, just basic shortbread/sugar cookies, that have turned out really well. (Also a good gluten-free cookie concept.)
posted by gimonca at 3:21 PM on November 28, 2023

i like puffed amaranth - i have it on tons of dishes, sweet and savory.
posted by j_curiouser at 6:29 PM on November 28, 2023

I occasionally put whole amaranth or teff into baked goods, as one might add seeds or rolled oats or whatever. If you don’t soak the tiny grains beforehand they’re sometimes too hard to be really pleasant in quick bread or cookies, but in a yeast bread they soften during the risings.
posted by clew at 12:29 AM on November 29, 2023

A handful (quarter cup or so?) is really nice in soup. I've made the Amaranth Quinoa Corn Chowder from Lorna Sass's Whole Grains Every Day Every Way and enjoyed the different textures and how the flavors complimented one another. And amaranth works pretty nicely in a broth-y vegetable soup. There are a couple of other amaranth recipes in that cookbook that I haven't tried: amaranth polenta with wild mushrooms and a quiche with an amaranth and oat crust, where you grind the oats and amaranth into flour and make a sort of shortbread crust with that. The polenta is basically amaranth cooked with dried mushrooms, shallots, and thyme, so a souped up side dish.
posted by carrioncomfort at 5:09 AM on November 29, 2023

Nthing alegrías, they're a pain but so much fun if you have help. The grains will NOT fit in a popcorn popper, you have to use a skillet, but as the name implies they're a joy to eat. Made a HUGE batch for a university cafeteria event a few years ago.

Puffed amaranth as a crunchy topping on stuff is also good.
posted by OhHaieThere at 5:54 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]