How to Cook With Amaranth

Remember when I wrote about teff, the world's tiniest grain? Well, it turns out teff has a close contender and although amaranth is a wee bit bigger, it is another tiny but very mighty grain, one well-worth getting to know. Amaranth is an incredibly nutritious, tasty, and gluten-free little grain that is under-appreciated yet relatively easy to find in health food stores. It's very high in protein, calcium, iron, and magnesium. So move over quinoa, it's time for amaranth to get a little bit of the love!

I first tasted amaranth when I lived in a small town near Puebla, Mexico. Puffed amaranth is used there to create a popular sweet called Alegria, an ancient recipe whose history can be traced back to the time of the Aztecs, when it was eaten in religious ceremonies and social gatherings. In Mexico, I used to love keeping Alegria in my bag for a quick nutritious pick-me-up snack. In fact, you can find a recipe for Alegria over here, at Native Seeds.

It took me a long time to figure out how to cook with amaranth. I find that most cooking instructions call for way too much water, yielding a gooey cereal which is delicious if you want to eat it as porridge, but leaves room for little else. When I finally figured out to use much less water - I find a 1 to 1 ratio works best - I was pleased to see the result was a fluffy grain with a delicately chewy texture.I was finally sold on amaranth, and began experimenting with it in various recipes.

These fritters have become a favorite and a stand-by for me. The earthy taste of amaranth couples nicely with the sweet crunch of corn kernels, yielding a tasty fritter with a lovely texture. I've introduced several friends to amaranth through these fritters, and they've been pleasantly surprised to find a new way to use this elusive grain, so I wanted to share it with you as well.

The fritters are delicious served with a dollop of salsa or tzatziki. They can easily be made ahead and reheated in the oven. Paired with a salad, they make a wonderful lunch or dinner. I hope you'll love them as much as I do and get to befriend amaranth, if you haven't already. I'd love to hear how you cook with amaranth in the comments below.