Buckwheat Groats

by Cat, Nov 2011 (photo from SproutPeople.org)

See also: Buckwheat & Kasha (About); and Kasha Porridge, Kasha pilaf

This article includes:

• Basic Cooked Buckwheat or Kasha
• Polish Cooked Buckwheat or Kasha

On this site, I refer to ‘buckwheat’ when I mean the raw grain (not toasted or roasted), but may be cooked; and to ‘kasha’ when I mean the sprouted or toasted/roasted grain. Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions recipe for kasha is sprouted and dried, rather than toasted/roasted, and is thus more healthful; see Buckwheat & Kasha (About) for my adaptation of her method.

Basic Cooked Buckwheat or Kasha 

The following is from The Whole Family: Warm up with Buckwheat. This recipe reflects the generally accepted 2:1 water to buckwheat ratio for cooking.

You can start with raw or sprouted & dried buckwheat groats and toast them before cooking, or start with roasted kasha and skip the toasting part. Not yet tested.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats (raw or sprouted & dried), or toasted/roasted kasha
• 3 cups boiling water or broth
• cast iron skillet (if using raw or sprouted groats); or
• heavy-bottomed sauce pan if using kasha

Process:

1. If using roasted kasha, skip this step: place groats in dry cast iron skillet and toast over medium heat about 5 minutes until golden and aromatic.
2. Pour boiling water over toasted groats or kasha. cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.

Polish Basic Cooked Buckwheat or Kasha

Here’s another version, adapted from aSiteAboutNothing.com, that bakes in the oven. It uses less liquid for the same amount of buckwheat/kasha than the above version – may need more water. I’ve not yet tested this recipe.

This is similar to the way I cook brown rice (except I don’t toast the rice first). I used to put the rice into the oven after combining with the water, but now I cook it in a double boiler over a simmer plate on top of the burner, about 45 minutes.

NOTE about equipment: For this version, you’ll need a stovetop heavy-bottomed saucepan and an ovenproof casserole with lid. Ideally you have a saucepan that can be used both on stovetop and in the oven, such as CorningWare; or if making a large quantity, you could use a cast iron Dutch oven.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats (raw or sprouted & dried), or roasted kasha
• about 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups boiling water or broth
• unrefined sea salt, to taste
• cast iron skillet
• ovenproof saucepan with lid (see note above)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan, adding salt to taste.
3. Place groats in dry skillet.
4. If using roasted kasha, skip this step: toast over medium heat about 5 minutes until golden & aromatic. Keep groats moving to avoid sticking/burning. When toasted, remove pan from heat.
5. Add butter to roasted/toasted groats, stirring to mix until all the butter is melted.
6. Reduce heat under the boiling liquid to simmer; add the kasha, stirring. Don’t cover the pan. Leave it on the heat until all the water has been absorbed/evaporated.
7. Transfer saucepan to oven (or transfer kasha to ovenproof casserole), cover with lid and bake 30-45 minutes, to your taste.

 Sources:

1. www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=11
2. www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=81
3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat
4. sproutpeople.org/bwgroats.html
5. www.asiteaboutnothing.net/f_kasha.html
6. quotes about buckwheat: www.naturalpedia.com/Kasha.html