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Buckwheat is a superfood that you may not know about. It’s definitely under-appreciated and under-utilized in the US, but everyone should know how healthy and scrumptious it is! I love it more than rice or quinoa. It’s also completely gluten free!
It’s name is a little deceiving because it’s called buckwheat but there is no relation to wheat – none whatsoever! It’s also just as simple to make as white rice. My son loves buckwheat with this mushroom gravy on it and I love it plain with butter (pickle on the side of course).
We’ll be rolling out some really yummy buckwheat recipes like this buckwheat with mushrooms so be sure to pin this one for later! Also, read on to learn why buckwheat is so good for you! 🙂
Ingredients for Basic Buckwheat:
1 cup toasted buckwheat groats
1 3/4 cups filtered water
1-2 Tbsp butter, to taste (I used unsalted butter)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste (I used sea salt)
Note:
I love this buckwheat sold at the Russian store because it usually comes pre-toasted and is golden brown in color. If the buckwheat you buy is not toasted, you can quickly toast it on a dry skillet over medium heat 4-5 min until it is golden brown in color then remove from heat and proceed with the recipe.
How to Cook Buckwheat (Stove-top Method):
1. Rinse and drain buckwheat well.
2. In a medium sauce pan, combine buckwheat groats with 1 3/4 cups water, 1 Tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low for 18-20 minutes. Just like with rice, you should hear hissing while it’s cooking and it will get quiet when it’s done. Stir in additional 1 Tbsp butter if desired.
How to Cook Buckwheat (Rice Cooker Method):
Transfer all ingredients to the rice cooker and set on the white rice setting. When it’s done, add an extra Tablespoon of butter if desired and stir in 1-2 tsp water to moisten up the kernels if they seem a little dry. Serve hot.
Buckwheat Nutrition info:
Buckwheat is a great source of Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Iron, and Vitamin B6. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, which are great for the immune system. Yeah it’s definitely good for you and much healthier than white rice. 🙂
How to Cook Buckwheat Kasha
Ingredients
- 1 cup toasted buckwheat groats
- 1 3/4 cups filtered water
- 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, to taste (I used unsalted butter)
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste (I used sea salt)
Instructions
Stove-top Method:
- Rinse and drain buckwheat well.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine buckwheat with 1 3/4 cups water, 1 Tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low for 18-20 min. Just like with rice, you should hear hissing while cooking and it will get quiet when done. Stir in additional 1 Tbsp butter if desired.
Rice Cooker Method:
- Transfer all ingredients to the rice cooker and set on the white rice setting. When done, add an extra Tbsp of butter if desired and stir in 1-2 tsp water to moisten up the kernels if they seem dry. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition Info: Buckwheat is a great source of Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Iron, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, which are great for the immune system. Yeah it's definitely good for you.
Do you get creative with buckwheat (grechka)? I’d love to hear how you prepare and serve it. Are you a gravy lover too? Let me know in a comment below. I’m always looking for new ways to cook this stuff up.
While living my in Kyrgyzstan, we had kasha for breakfast almost every morning and I miss it so! Do you have a recipe for a way to make the porridge/cereal type? Thank you!
Hello Kara! Glad you found this recipe. This is the only version that we have at the moment. Hope you’ll love it!
Used this recipe at least 10 x and it’s simply perfect
Thank you — looks super, also I remember adding an egg to kasha– how does that work??
We toast on a dry skillet but we don’t add egg to it.
I just made a breakfast concoction where I substituted toasted kasha for bulgar, steel cut oats or polenta.
Into a large wide cup add 1 stalk of celery and one scallion, both finely chopped and 1/2 cup of toasted kasha. Add 3/4 cup of water and 3-4 spoonfuls of marinara sauce and microwave 6 minutes.
Remove from microwave and add 1/4 cup walnuts, sliced green olives and sautéed mushrooms.. Season with spices and herbs of choice.
*Marinara sauce adds flavor but prevents foaming; pesto serves the same purpose.
The kasha was mushy (still liked it) so next time I will microwave 5 minutes and back off more if necessary.
There are endless variations. I like semi hot peppers such as jalopenas and hungarian, and other hot peppers. I like heat but not 5 alarm.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Love this recipe for the rice cooker–it’s my go-to. The type of buckwheat is super important. I have found only the European/Slavic kind to cook up hearty and delicious; the usual grocery store kind ends up very mushy (at least when I try to cook it the same way).
And how are the rest of us to find good quality with no way to find or evaluate Ukrainian or other sources outside the US. I see some on amazon but evaluating them?
It does fee like a needle in a haystack. The best source I’ve found is at a local European store. Check if your area has one. I’ve also heard the one at whole foods is decent.
I can get kasha from a health food store which has a large variety of nuts and grains and other foods in addition to supplements.
When I first tried cooking kasha, there was an initial step of coating the groats with an egg mixture in a frying pan. Are you familiar with this? Is it a variation of the roasting process? It’s been awhile and I can’t find that brand. It came in a golden colored box. I was just curious. Thank you.
Hi Rita, we toast on a dry skillet but we don’t add egg to it. You might find what you are looking for in a European store. I think they have the best variety and quality for buckwheat.
Possibly you mean Wolff’s kasha, the recipe from back of box is to mix 1 cup kasha with 1 egg or egg white, toast in a dry pan, then stir in 2 cups boiling broth or water plus 2 tbsp butter and simmer 7-10 min. The egg does give it a distinctive flavor I like a lot.
You should try buckwheat from Ukraine. It grows on good black soil and is much better.
I have it with shkwarky and bryndzia.
No wonder why I feel always different when compared to example…I skipped buckwheat toast phase!
Does that make affection I wonder?
HI Nikolai, it could be either toasting the buckwheat or the type of buckwheat you are using – some are just mushier than others. Whole foods has a good one and also European stores have been the best source for us for buckwheat.
For anyone who is saying it’s mushy: try using the same ingredients and ratio, but starting the water, butter and salt to boil, and then put the kasha in once boiling. Continue on with the recipe as written, cook on low until water absorbed.
This is what always works for me when I can’t get my usual trusted kasha brand.