Curried Quinoa Salad — The Recovery Table

Appa's hip surgery. April. The month of birthdays and operations. The surgery was Tuesday at Robert Wood Johnson — the family hospital, the place where every Krishnamurthy milestone happens. Amma, Arvind, Dina, and I waited. Four hours. The longest four hours since Amma's first cognitive test. Appa came through fine. Seventy-three, diabetic, stubborn as granite, and the hip replacement was textbook. The surgeon said: "He has the constitution of a much younger man." This is because Appa walks three miles every morning and eats lentils and refuses to acknowledge that his body is seventy-three, which is either denial or determination or both. Amma sat in the waiting room and held Dina's hand. Not mine — Dina's. This was notable. Amma chose the newest member of the family for comfort, which means either Dina has ascended to inner-circle status or Amma forgot that I was also available, or both. Dina held Amma's hand and talked to her quietly about the food at the wedding, which is the safest conversational territory in the Krishnamurthy family. "The biryani was the best thing I've ever eaten, Aunty." "Of course it was." "Can you teach me to make it?" "We'll see." We'll see. From Amma, this is a significant concession — she has never offered to teach a non-family-member her biryani. "We'll see" means she's considering it. Dina has moved from "acceptable" to "we'll see about biryani," which is practically a doctorate in Krishnamurthy Studies. Appa recovered at our house for three weeks. I managed his post-surgical care with pharmacist precision: medication schedule, physical therapy appointments, dietary adjustments. He ate my cooking without complaint, which is the highest praise Venkatesh Krishnamurthy can offer — the absence of criticism. I made his favorite: curd rice, rasam, and vadai. Simple food. Recovery food. The food of a woman taking care of her father the way he took care of her — silently, consistently, without discussion. Appa healed. The hip works. The walks will resume. We continue.

I couldn’t find curd rice or rasam on this site — those recipes live in my mother’s hands, not on any page — but when I wanted to share something from those three weeks with you, this Curried Quinoa Salad felt closest to the spirit of what I made: warm spice, clean nourishment, the kind of food that doesn’t demand anything from the person eating it. Appa would have raised an eyebrow at quinoa, but he would have eaten it without complaint, which, as I have explained, is the highest honor. Make it for someone you’re taking care of, or for yourself, which is sometimes the same thing.

Curried Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa. Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. Season while warm. Stir curry powder, cumin, turmeric, ginger, and salt into the warm quinoa so the spices bloom into the grain. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
3. Make the dressing. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
4. Combine the salad. Fold chickpeas, peas, shredded carrots, and golden raisins into the cooled quinoa. Pour the yogurt dressing over the top and toss gently to coat everything evenly.
5. Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving bowl or individual plates. Top with fresh cilantro and sliced green onions. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 320 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 310mg