Re:toasted buckwheat question

[Guest guest]

I have purchased already-toasted buckwheat a few times while visiting my older

daughter. I love the flavor, so I read the post about " buckwheat and veggies for

breakfast " eagerly.

 

I have one question:  What is the reason for adding the egg " to coat it " after

the buckwheat groats are toasted and cooled, but before they are " simmered " in

water to cook them? What does the egg do for it?  Does it change the texture? 

Bind it?  Flavor it?   That was something that surprised me and I am wondering

about it still. 

 

As to adding a bunch of nice fresh veggies to saute or steam and serve/eat along

with the buckwheat--we (or I) do stuff like that all the time!  My peculiar

husband yesterday told me he was " longing " for me to cook him a " whole, steamed

onion " sometime soon.  That surprised me--he likes sauteed, " caramelized " onions

a lot, and he also seems to like my hodge-podge of steamed vegetables (a mixture

of whatever is left in the veg bin at the end of the week--almost a stew without

the gravy!)  But I'd never heard him EVER say he LIKED, much less WANTED a bunch

of onions cooked in the steamer--which sounds pretty PLAIN (boring) to me.

 

I did it anyway.  Chopped up a large onion very coarsely and then found a

half-head of cauliflower and a couple big stalks of broccoli--they all got

chopped up together with the very last, lonely green onion in the bin.  And

steamed. 

 

Hey!  It smelled GOOD while it was cookin!  And when I checked it--everything

was done JUST the way we both like our veggies!  I drizzled a bowl-ful of the

broccoli/cauliflower/onions mixture with a tiny bit of " EVOO " , sprinkled it with

pepper and seasoned salt (my seasoning of choice on everything)...and then I

thought:  " NEXT time I make it, I'm gonna throw in some peas, edamame, green

baby lima beans or something like that! "   As far as I'm concerned, peas, edamame

or green baby limas make it a perfect

MEAL!  (Well, that cooked Buckwheat or brown rice might be good with it, too!)

 

Excuse me while I go for seconds on steamed veggies!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

--Laura B., in Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

[Default] On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:46:47 -0800 (PST), " L.B. "

<elbee577 wrote:

 

>I have one question:  What is the reason for adding the egg " to coat it " after

the buckwheat groats are toasted and cooled, but before they are " simmered " in

water to cook them?

 

The egg coats the 'grains' and keeps them from sticking together. If

you are concerned about cholesterol, you can use egg whites rather than

whole eggs.

 

>To prepare kasha, add 1 cup of buckwheat groats to a heated skillet and add to

it a beaten egg white. The egg separates the kernels as they cook, which

prevents the groats from sticking together. This ensures that kasha will have a

consistency that is similar to that of rice. Stir the kasha and egg mixture

until each grain is separate and dry. Then, add 2 cups of boiling liquid, either

stock or water, and a dash of salt. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes or until

the liquid is absorbed.

http://cooking-ingredients.com/buckwheat.html