We’ve eaten our fair share of sriracha sauce over the last year.
We make these roasted potatoes hash and douse them in sriracha and ketchup – it’s SO good!
Then there’s the classic avocado and sriracha toast, which I must admit, was the reason why I got my first bottle of sriracha.
We swirl it in soups and stews now for that extra zing, and use it in marinades and sauces… it’s a versatile condiment; hot and spicy with a touch of sweetness.
Here’s a fascinating short video about its origin and the man who made it popular in North America.
During these dark cold months, I relish simple nutritious meals that can be prepped in advance; it’s usually so dark by the time I get off work that I love the convenience of not having to cook.
Here’s where meals like this quinoa, peas and sriracha roasted fennel come into play.
I like pairing quinoa with peas, it’s my new classic – both have delicate flavours; peas with their subtle sweet flavour enhances the nuttiness of the quinoa.
I cook huge batches and keep them in the fridge to use in tasty concoctions throughout the week.
When fennel is in abundance, we toss them in zesty sriracha with carrots and scallions and roast them till tender and subtly sweet.
We throw the roasted vegetables together with the quinoa and peas; the sriracha binds them together, creating a cheerful combination with harmonizing flavours of tangy, sweet, hot and savoury
This is the kind of food I love, modest and comforting, and perfect for those dark winter nights.


- 1 cup white quinoa
- 1/2 cup red quinoa
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups of water or vegetable broth
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups frozen peas
- Pinch of salt
- 1 medium fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb cut into wedges
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 small bunch of scallions, trimmed
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes, optional
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sriracha (or adjust to taste)
- Salt to taste, optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Chopped cilantro, lemon and tomato wedges to serve
- Rinse white and red quinoa thoroughly, drain and transfer to a saucepan, add water (or vegetable broth), coconut oil and salt
- Bring to a boil on medium heat, then lower heat and let it simmer until cooked and tender, and all the liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork when done and set aside
- Alternatively, you can cook quinoa in a rice cooker; add rinsed quinoa, water (or broth), coconut oil and salt to rice cooker, stir and set to cook per the machine’s instructions. Fluff with a fork when machine shuts off
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add peas and salt, stir and cook for about 5 minutes, drain and set aside. Or cook peas on high in a microwave for about 5 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment pepper (oil lightly if using foil)
- Combine fennel, carrots and scallions in a bowl
- Add fennel seeds, garlic powder, pepper flakes (if using)
- Add olive oil, sriracha and salt, and toss to coat completely
- Arrange vegetables in a single layer on lined baking sheet
- Roast in oven for 10 minutes, check and stir them, and roast again for another 10 - 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and edges begin to caramelize
- Combine quinoa, peas and roasted vegetables in a large bowl
- Squeeze lemon juice and zest over bowl and toss to combine
- Serve warm with freshly ground pepper, and garnish with lemon and tomato wedges and some chopped cilantro
- Enjoy!
- Adjust ingredients and measurements as needed and taste as you go along

8 Comments
Can ou beileive that I have never ever tried Sriracha? I feel like I am missing out. What a fab combination of flavours E.
15 January, 2015 at 3:12 amOh B. you are indeed missing out. Try it, you’ll love it!:-)
15 January, 2015 at 9:27 amCool new blog title design! I love the beauty and colors in the bowl! 🙂
16 January, 2015 at 9:39 amThanks Katie! Yeah, the blog needs a little lift:-)
17 January, 2015 at 7:50 pmThis recipe looks so good, Elsa. I also LOVE your ‘light & lovely’ photos style 🙂
19 January, 2015 at 4:23 pmAwww… thank you so much Pang! 🙂
20 January, 2015 at 6:29 pmWe have also been consuming bottles upon bottles of sriracha for the last few months! I was actually very late to the sriracha game, so now I’m just trying to make up for lost time. 🙂 And this recipe seems like the PERFECT way to incorporate it into a cozy winter meal! I have never roasted fennel before so I am really excited to try it. Love your blog!
21 January, 2015 at 10:53 amThank you!:-) We were late to the sriracha game too but of course, making up for lost time is proving to be sooo delicious!:-) You should try roasted fennel, it’s Ahhmazing!
22 January, 2015 at 12:13 am