Buckwheat

Click to Enlarge	Buckwheat Kasha Russia - Grechnevaya kasha
	Serves Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	2 brk * 35 min Yes	Buckwheat makes a flavorful and easy to make "cereal" though it's the seed of a plant related to rhubarb, not a grain. Many recipes say bake the buckwheat covered and sometimes in a water bath to prevent scorching. In Southern California we don't fire up a hot oven unless we really have to, so I make it similar to steaming rice. Buckwheat also makes a good side dish for meats - and see Notes for variations.

1
1
2
1/2
2
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tt

c

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t
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Buckwheat (1)
Egg (opt 2)
Water
Salt
Butter
Pepper black
more Butter

If desired (Note-2) mix BUCKWHEAT with egg to coat thoroughly.
In a pan dry roast Buckwheat until it is fragrant and darkens just a shade or two. If using egg fry just until egg is dry. If using pre-roasted buckwheat, skip frying, or if using egg fry the minimum time for it to set.
Bring WATER to a boil in a tightly coverable saucepan, add SALT and BUTTER, then Buckwheat. Bring back to a simmer, cover tightly and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed, then turn off the heat and let sit another 10 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and serve with fresh ground PEPPER, more Butter, and garnished as desired (photo has chopped dill).

NOTES:

Buckwheat: Most recipes by Russians call for unroasted buckwheat and consider the commercial product roasted too dark. Unroasted is harder to find but here in Los Angeles most Asian markets have it. For details see our Buckwheat page.
Egg: Coating with egg before roasting will produce an end texture with a little more adhesion than without the egg, but with egg you get a difficult to remove coating on your roasting pan and it's more difficult to tell when the buckwheat is roasted enough, so I don't use it.
Variations
- Bacon: Start out with some bacon diced small instead of butter. Fry it half crisp and add to the roasted buckwheat in place of the butter.
- Mushroom Kasha: Use broth instead of water. Sauté sliced mushrooms lightly in butter and mix with the roasted buckwheat - OR - soak dried mushrooms, use the soaking liquid instead of broth and add the soaked mushrooms to the roasted buckwheat.
- Porridge: Cook over fairly high heat uncovered until all water is absorbed. Add 2 cups milk and cook slowly over low heat for about 20 minutes.
- Fried: Fry the buckwheat in oil or lard in place of the butter, then stir in some chopped onions and celery. Fry stirring until onions are soft and proceed as above.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch

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