The Pantry / Amaranth Seed
Amaranth Seed
Amaranthus caudatus · latte ko biu · rajgira · ramdana
Smaller than a pinhead, and it still pops.
What it is
Amaranth seed is minute, round and pale, harvested from a tall red-flowered plant grown as much for its leaf as its grain. Thrown into a dry hot pan it bursts within a minute into tiny white puffs, a fraction of the size of popcorn, with a toasted nuttiness and a texture that stays crunchy through a filling. It is not a true cereal, so it carries no gluten.
Where it comes from
Domesticated in Mesoamerica and central to the Aztec diet, then spread worldwide. It took hold across the Himalaya, where the plant grows at altitudes that defeat most crops, and in India it became a fasting food precisely because it is not a grain.
What it's called
Latte ko biu (Nepali) · rajgira and ramdana (Hindi) · amaranth. Botanically several Amaranthus species, commonly A. caudatus in the Himalaya.
In the kitchen
Toast it in a dry pan for a minute until it starts to pop, then tip it straight out before it catches. It goes into the filling for hoentay, where it gives the chopped greens and cheese a nutty crunch that would otherwise be missing entirely. It is used in small quantities and it is worth not skipping, since it supplies the only textural contrast in the parcel.
What we know about the claims
High in protein for a seed, with a good amino acid profile and plenty of iron and magnesium, and naturally gluten-free. The nutrition case is sound. The fasting-food status in India rests on a botanical technicality: it is a seed, not a cereal.
Choosing and buying
Sold as amaranth grain in health food shops in the UK and natural foods stores in the US, and as rajgira at South Asian grocers, usually cheaply. Buy the whole seed, not the flour. It keeps well sealed, and a small bag lasts a long time given how little any dish needs.