Popped amaranth is my favorite. It's incredibly tiny, and fun to imagine being a giant eating popcorn. I like to serve it alongside saucy fish, as kind of a "dry dip". Unlike the grains mentioned in the article, it actually pops -- it's fast and easy in a heavy bottomed pot, just like popcorn, but way faster because the grains are so small.
What's the secret to this? I always end up a mix of popped, un-popped and burnt amaranth. I've tried a variety of different techniques and none of them seem to work well for me.
Never let the grains stop moving? And, it's delicate; burning is a definite risk. I do tend to make several small batches, about a third of a cup at a time.
Come to think of it, I've never tried to make it in a microwave. Might be worth trying
I tried similar with sorghum in the microwave and ended up horribly burning it. I think it's too delicate a process with non-popcorn/rice grains, keeping it moving would have averted disaster for me, but I can't do that easily with a microwave.
