How To Cook Buckwheat Groats

What is Buckwheat?     

Despite the name, buckwheat has no relation to wheat and therefore is completely gluten-free! It is not a grain at all. It is a gluten-free seed with a nutty flavor and also considered a superfood that is packed full of nutrients.

You can use it in summer for salads like Turkish kisir and stuffed peppers, or in cold winters as part of a soup like tomato chicken soup or a stew. It can even be ground to make buckwheat flour. It is used as a gluten-free flour to make pancakes or brownies!

This buckwheat recipe, which only uses the groats, water, salt, and oil, is also commonly referred to as kasha, a type of porridge that is extremely popular in Eastern Europe.

Buckwheat has become more popular over the past few years in Turkey, especially among people who are suffering from celiac disease. One of the reasons for this is because of its gluten-free and non-allergenic characteristics. It has several health benefits. It is a great source of potassium, dietary fiber and antioxidants and is a great source of vegetarian protein.

Raw or Toasted Groats?

Toasting buckwheat groats before cooking them makes a big difference in taste. If you cook raw buckwheat groats, it will have a very earthy, nutty, and even slightly bitter taste. When cooking toasted buckwheat groats, it almost tames the bitterness and enhances the nuttiness of it.

We prefer using toasted buckwheat groats for recipes as the flavor and texture is better when cooked. It is easy to find at markets or online, but if you cannot find any, you can easily toast them yourself. 

To toast raw groats at home, simply preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and add the groats to a lined baking tray. Toast them for about 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Alternatively, you can toast them in a medium-hot pan until brown.

Ingredients

Basic fluffy buckwheat recipe is very easy to make and mainly requires buckwheat groats (preferably toasted), water, salt, and either butter or olive oil.

When choosing between the two fats, we prefer using olive oil mainly because we use our buckwheat in salads. When it comes down to it, it is entirely up to personal preferences.You can even use coconut oil if that’s what you use often in your cooking.

It is best to use a bit of butter when you want to serve it as a side dish like rice or bulgur pilaf.

How To Cook It

Cooking buckwheat is very similar to cooking coarse bulgur or cooking wheat berries.

Making this buckwheat kasha recipe is extremely quick, easy, and delicious! With only a few ingredients you can create a filling and flavorful side dish that will complement any main.

First, cook the buckwheat: Rinse buckwheat under water until it runs clear. Bring a large pot of water and salt to a boil, add the buckwheat, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the buckwheat covered over low heat until it becomes tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain any remaining water and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. We use 1 cup of groats for this.

Second, fluff the buckwheat and serve: Using a fork, gently fluff the cooked buckwheat, but avoid mashing it. Serve immediately as is or make a buckwheat porridge while warm or allow it to cool completely before incorporating it into salads.

Alternative Flavors

What makes this pseudo grain, buckwheat kasha so versatile is that you can make it both sweet and savory. 

For a sweeter dish, you can add milk, berries, honey or maple syrup, nuts, or spices like cinnamon. This makes a perfect buckwheat breakfast bowl.

For a more savory flavor profile, combine buckwheat with yogurt, some citrus juice like lemon or lime, and a variety of spices like toasted cumin, fennel, or coriander.

If you want to make it even more savory, try cooking the buckwheat in chicken, beef, or vegetable stock and use chicken or beef fat instead of butter. This creates an amazing umami flavor profile!

Tips

•  If you are looking to save time, pre-soak your buckwheat in water. This will cut the cooking time in half!
•  Instead of olive oil, you can use unsalted butter or vegan butter, lard, chicken fat, beef fat or coconut oil – it is entirely up to your own personal preference.
• Try not to mash it when stirring and fluffing the cooking buckwheat. That being said, it still tastes good even if it turns to mush. It is okay to serve as is or mixed up with milk or yogurt. But not good in salads when it is mushy.
• You can also cook your buckwheat in flavored liquids like stocks, or add them to a soup base.
• Keep the cooked buckwheat in the refrigerator after letting it cool completely.
• You can cook buckwheat in your pressure cooker if you want. After putting everything in the pot, lock the lid and let it heat over high heat. When the pressure cooker starts to whistle (when it reaches pressure), bring the heat to the lowest and cook for 3 minutes. Make sure you let it cool down for 20-30 min before uncovering the pot.
• You can use your instant pot too. Set it to manual high pressure and cook it for 3 min.
• You can cook buckwheat in your rice cooker as well, just as you cook rice.

Frequently Asked Questions