Baru rakyat sedar beza Quinoa (sebut: keen-wah) vs setin sardin 20 sen

R2D2

Quinoa, the quirky friend we’ve heard of but don’t quite know


By Lauren Ashley

Malaysians thrive on controversy and now the election seems to be centred on the Peruvian quinoa and its benefits compared with our beloved home-grown rice.

Quinoa is a rather quirky grain. It grows only at high altitudes, which makes it inconvenient to farm and difficult to transport to distributors. Its bitter saponin coating which takes time to be washed off doesn’t help, and if not processed properly, can disgruntle its consumers.

Rice, meanwhile, grows well in valleys and is significantly easier to process. They are all the same, and much easier to market.

Where a whole crop of rice matures at the same time and can be harvested collectively, a single head of quinoa matures at different times and makes the process of harvesting on a mass scale impossible. Each seed head is picked manually, a time-consuming and expensive process.

All these additional concerns that need to be addressed when selling quinoa make it cost double what ordinary rice would. Doesn’t look too promising, does it?

But the health benefits of quinoa are intense.

For a tiny seed, it packs massive amounts of protein. A single 60g cup contains a solid 8g of protein.

Quinoa also contains significant portions of the recommended daily amounts for manganese (58%), magnesium (30%), phosphorus (28%), folate (28%), iron (15%) and potassium (9%).

A 60g cup of quinoa contains only 222 calories whereas a 90g cup of rice contains a whopping 735 calories. Quinoa also contain less sugar than rice does, making it a better option for the diabetic population of Malaysia.

The benefits don’t end there either. Because the lower density of quinoa makes it last longer than rice, 250g of quinoa provides for more than four servings, while 250g of rice provides less than three servings.

But you’re right. Quinoa is expensive, and many of us can’t afford the steep price tag. Never fear, though. Millet is here to save the day.

Having almost all the benefits of quinoa (save for a few amino acids) and ringing only a quarter of the price at the cashier, it’s diet-friendly and also kind to your wallet.

Besides, when did Malaysians need an excuse to try new food anyway?

sekngucing

tak pernah tahu pasal quinoa sebelum. ni... camana cara masak dia

dani-rox

akak makan oat jah

R2D2

Quinoa – mencerna diet purba Najib
Hari ini, 9:00 pm     

ULASAN l Tiba-tiba quinoa, makanan yang jarang didengar rakyat kebanyakan di Malaysia, menjadi sohor di Internet dalam tempoh 24 jam terakhir.

Semuanya berlaku selepas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak mendedahkan diet sihatnya yang menggantikan nasi dengan produk yang seakan-akan bijirin itu.

Quinoa (sebut: keen-wah) kini sohor di Google Trends. Tapi apa sebenarnya Quinoa?

Walaupun digunakan seperti bijirin tulen seperti beras dan gandum, quinoa sebenarnya bijian yang tergolong dalam keluarga bayam.

Ia mula ditanam di wilayah Andean di Amerika Selatan lama dahulu, kira-kira 3,000 hingga 4,000 tahun melibatkan kawasan antara Peru dan Bolivia.

Sehingga ke hari ini kawasan itu menjadi sumber utama untuk bekalan dunia.

Bolivia adalah negara pembekal utama Quinoa diikuti Peru dan Ecuador.

Quinoa ditanam di “altiplano”, iaitu kawasan tanah tinggi yang rata dan sejuk dan tidak banyak tumbuhan hidup di situ.

Oleh kerana penanamannya masih menggunakan cara lama sejak ribuan tahun, ia dianggap sebagai bijian purba.

Najib berkata beliau menggantikan quinoa dengan nasi atas faktor kesihatan.

Belum terdapat kajian kukuh yang membuktikan quinoa lebih sihat berbanding beras, terutamanya beras perang, yang mempunyai nilai nutrisi seperti bijirin-bijirin lain.

Ia boleh menjadi alternatif mudah menggantikan nasi dalam resipi masakan.

Bagaimanapun, dengan kandungan protein yang tinggi, bijian ini amat sesuai menjadi sajian golongan vegetarian dan vegan.

Quinoa juga menjadi sumber magnesium, manganese dan beberapa mineral serta vitamin, selain bebas gluten secara semula jadi dan tinggi kandungan serat.

Harga mencanak

Quinoa sering dipanggil “bijirin agung Andes” oleh pribumi Amerika Selatan dan pengkaji susulan kandungan nutrisi yang tinggi.

Disebabkan faedah kesihatannya yang diuar-uarkan itu, bijirin itu kini sangat popular sebagai pengganti nasi dan dipromosikan sebagai makanan sihat.

Perhimpunan Agung Persatuan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu (PBB) malah pernah mengisytiharkan 2013 sebagai “Tahun Antarabangsa Quinoa”, dengan Pertubuhan Pertanian dan Makanan PBB (FAO) menjadi sekretariat kempen itu.

Menurut FAO, usaha itu diumumkan bagi menghargai orang asal Andes yang “mempertahankan, mengawal dan menjaga quinoa sebagai makanan untuk generasi sedia ada dan akan datang”.

PBB juga berterima kasih kepada tradisi pengetahuan dan amalan masyarakat itu dengan hidup secara harmoni dengan alamnya.

Lebih dari itu, Ketua Penagrah FAO Jose Graziono da Silva menggelar quinoa sebagai “sekutu dalam perjuangan melawan kelaparan dan kekurangan makanan”.

Bagaimanapun, populariti quinoa sebagai makanan sihat menyebabkan harganya mencanak tiga kali ganda antara 2006 hingga 2013.

Inilah yang menjadi asas kritikan Anggota Parlimen Segambut Lim Lip Eng kepada Najib yang didakwanya tidak memahami keperitan hidup rakyat biasa.

Bayangkan paket kecil quinoa Love Earth Organic Quinoa seberat 250-gram berharga RM14.79 atau bersamaan RM591.60 untuk 10kg.

Beras seperti Jasmine Super Special (5 peratus beras hancur) yang menjadi pilihan ramai rakyat Malaysia pula berharga RM25.85 untuk berat yang sama.

Bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – kawan yang menjadi lawan Najib – juga turut memperolokkan Najib dengan berkata beliau hanya makan nasi dari beras tempatan.


Kesan negatif

Dalam skala global, kenaikan harga quino memberi kesan buruk kepada masyarakat pribumi Peru dan Bolivia yang menjadikannya makanan ruji.

Sekitar tahun 2011 hingga 2013, laporan berita mendakwa permintaan dari negara-negara barat telah menekan harganya, sekali gus menyebabkan orang miskin di kedua-dua negara itu tidak lagi mampu membelinya.

Menteri Pembangunan Luar Bandar Bolivia Nemecia Achacollo dilaporkan berkata hanya 10 peratus quinoa ditanam di Bolivia beredar dalam negara itu sementara 90 peratus lagi dieksport.

Perkara itu dilapor mendorong ramai menggantikan quinoa dengan nasi dan mi.


Bagaimanapun, agensi berita antarabangsa Associated Press pada 2011 melaporkan ramai kanak-kanak negara itu menunjukkan tanda-tanda kekurangan zat.



New York Times pula pada tahun sama melaporkan semakin hari semakin ramai rakyat Bolivia tidak mampu membeli quinoa selepas kenaikan harga makanan itu.

Bagaimanapun, satu analisis yang disiarkan Andean Information Network mendakwa petani-petani quinoa menikmati kestabilan ekonomi susulan harganya yang tinggi.

iloveselangor

Quinoa ni org asli Mexico yg tanam kan...harvest manual pakai tangan

R2D2

Najib’s office explains quinoa diet is on doctor’s advice
Published on 23 Feb 2018 9:07PM

PRIME Minister Najib Razak has explained his quinoa diet, saying he ate the imported grain as a substitute for rice on his doctor’s advice.

Faced with criticism from some opposition leaders and social media users for displaying a “disconnect” with ordinary Malaysians, the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement tonight said Najib  was often served rice at the various events he attended as part of his duties.

“The Prime Minister’s Office has been informed of actions by certain quarters, including opposition leaders, to twist Prime Minister Najib Razak’s statements about his health and diet routine, which he spoke about during the Budget 2018 With the People programme yesterday.

“The prime minister had said that he eats quinoa as part of a healthy eating regime. It is on the advice of his doctor. The prime minister also does routine exercises to care for his health.

“The prime minister attends many events every week and is served with a variety of food, including rice, at those events,” the statement said.

Najib had mentioned his quinoa diet in the budget programme that was broadcast on social media in response to a question about his health regime.

In the same programme, he had also advised young Malaysians to differentiate between high living costs and lifestyle spending and to spend within their means.

But his diet of the imported South American grain, which is a sign of affluence in the West, earned the scorn of opposition leaders, including DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, who said it showed how out of touch Najib was with ordinary Malaysians.

An online check found that a 250g bag of organic quinoa sold at the Tesco supermarket cost RM14.79, making it about 23 times more expensive than rice, the staple food for 30 million Malaysians.

“The 14th general election will be quinoa versus rice, clean government versus kleptocracy, and Najib versus the people of Malaysia,” Lim had said.

The Prime Minister’s Office, however, urged people to watch and listen for themselves to what Najib said in the budget programme, which has been uploaded to YouTube.

Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad has also taken a dig at Najib over his quinoa diet, tweeting earlier today “Saya makan nasi beras tempatan sahaja (I only eat local rice)”. – February 23, 2018.

jazaa100

sekngucing replied at 23-2-2018 10:44 PM
tak pernah tahu pasal quinoa sebelum. ni... camana cara masak dia

Tanya kak mah....

jazaa100

dani-rox replied at 23-2-2018 10:47 PM
akak makan oat jah

Klu dpt gantikan nasi dgn oats, memang bagus....
Aku dulu mkn oats, bila mkn nasi rasa mengah je.....
jiran aku memang mkn oats...dia ajar aku cara buat...
jgn buat lembik...bubuh air sikit je...bior jadi mcm nasi himpit....
pastu mkn le dgn lauk yg ada, kari ke....asam pedas ke....
memang cepat turun berat bdn....

sekngucing

jazaa100 replied at 23-2-2018 11:21 PM
Klu dpt gantikan nasi dgn oats, memang bagus....
Aku dulu mkn oats, bila mkn nasi rasa mengah je. ...

saya makan dgn milo dan susu...

JunkMail

Masa aku kat Peru .. hari makan quinoa ni. Diorang campur dalam soup. Kalau lalu kat altiplano banyak la ladang quinoa ni...nampak mcm pokok bunga je. Tapi org Peru Walau dok kat Andes jalan kaki hari still gemuk gak sebab banyak makan Carb. Nasi on top Ada pasta tambah lagi soup quinoa pulak

jazaa100

sekngucing replied at 23-2-2018 11:55 PM
saya makan dgn milo dan susu...

sekali dua boleh lah milo dengan susu....
cepat muak....
cer try mkn gantikan nasi....
sedap tau....
akk klu malas masak nasi, akk buat mcm tu lah...

kiambang

Mesti ada maksud yang tersirat .. jauh tu nak import dari negara amerika selatan ...

lostnfaun

Hahahaha... Panas bontot PMO nak counter balik.. damage control ler tue

multinicky

quinoa n kuskus meols blm cube lg..tp rasenye quinoa ni masak mcm other grains such as barley.. klu kuskus meols tgk sng je diorg masak, simbah je dgn ape jenis boil stok or plain boil water ja season skit dgn salt n then biar die kembang n serap semua air tu.. katenye sgt mengenyangkan plus healthy too.

paz

Bagus quinoa ni. Memang Paz makan, kadang buat nasi goreng.

Awal-awal memang tak sedap, tapi lama-lama ok aja.

sekngucing

jazaa100 replied at 24-2-2018 12:02 AM
sekali dua boleh lah milo dengan susu....
cepat muak....
cer try mkn gantikan nasi....

ganti nasi maksudnya makan sama mcm makan nasi.. ada lauk ikan.. kuah semua ke?  makan dgn tangan?

jazaa100

sekngucing replied at 24-2-2018 12:25 AM
ganti nasi maksudnya makan sama mcm makan nasi.. ada lauk ikan.. kuah semua ke?  makan dgn tangan? ...

Mkn dgn sudu lah dik oiii.....
Lauk mkn mcm biasa....cuma nasi je gantikan dgn oats...jgn buat cair, nanti tak lalu...buat keras sikit mcm nasi himpit....

Ok je tau....rasa kenyang....hari ke tiga dah biasa dah....nanti bila dah biasa, tgok nasi pun dah mengah...

Ada pcik tu....turun byk kilo jugak...bila akk tanya, dia kata dia mkn oats...kekdg oats mkn dgn sambal belacan....masa tu akk tak dpt bygkn mcmana....pastu ada kwn ajar & akk buat...best le pulak..

jazaa100

paz replied at 24-2-2018 12:19 AM
Bagus quinoa ni. Memang Paz makan, kadang buat nasi goreng.

Awal-awal memang tak sedap, tapi lam ...

Mcmana rasanya pazz....

Mcm  nasi gak ke

PongKang

kan anak najib jual quinoa tu... dah ada kat village grocer... marketing kat rakyat gitu...

PongKang

hangpa pakat2 la call ya nak order.....