Both children and adults know about the benefits of buckwheat porridge. By the way, it is this low-calorie product that is used in most effective diets for losing extra pounds. And steaming is one of the simplest and most useful ways to bring cereals to a state of readiness. Having learned how to properly steam buckwheat grains, you can not only pamper your household with a tasty and healthy dish, but also, if you wish, go on one of the buckwheat diets.
In a couple of days you will get rid of several centimeters of subcutaneous fat and will be able to surprise your friends and family with your healthy glow and renewed figure. You can learn how to steam buckwheat correctly and what subtleties there are in using this product from this article.
Boiled or steamed: which is better?
Doctors and nutritionists have long come to the conclusion that heat treatment of foods has a destructive effect on all the beneficial substances they contain. Buckwheat is no exception.
When cooked, the amount of plant fiber in grains is reduced almost threefold, and vitamins remain in minimal quantities. While steamed cereal contains them in full.
It is estimated that fiber in raw cereal is about 11 g per 100 g of kernels. When cooking porridge, the indicators drop to 4 g per 100 g. Thus, in order to replenish the body’s daily need for fiber (20-30 g), you need to eat 200-300 g of steamed cereal, while boiled cereal will need almost 3 times more - 600-900 g, which is unacceptable for those who eat buckwheat for weight loss. In addition, the increased calorie content does not allow us to consider such a dish as a dietary one.
Steamed buckwheat has a low glycemic index; after eating it, you retain a feeling of fullness for a long time, which makes it possible to use it for losing excess weight.
Useful and harmful properties
Like any product, buckwheat has both positive and negative properties.
Health Benefits
Steamed buckwheat has the following beneficial qualities for the body:
- helps replenish the deficiency of vitamins, macro- and microelements;
- due to its high fiber content, it helps improve digestion and eliminate constipation;
- has the ability to absorb and remove toxins and waste from the body;
- with regular use, it improves blood composition;
- has a beneficial effect on metabolism, speeds up metabolism;
- promotes the removal of harmful cholesterol from the body;
- normalizes blood sugar levels;
- has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system;
- helps prevent and fight atherosclerosis, hypertension, rheumatism, stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastritis;
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the liver, kidneys and pancreas;
- strengthens the nervous system, improves sleep, eliminates insomnia;
- due to the low glycemic index, it is indicated for nutrition of patients with diabetes;
- promotes weight loss.
Harm to health
Undercooked buckwheat can bring not only benefits, but also cause harm in some cases.
First of all, it can cause indigestion, which will lead to bloating, diarrhea or, conversely, constipation.
This cereal should not be consumed if you have some diseases, as it can worsen the condition.
Long-term consumption of buckwheat alone can lead to decreased muscle tone, weakness, dizziness, and digestive problems.
How to choose?
Cereals are classified into several types depending on the amount of impurities and chipped kernels; these are the third, second, first and highest grade. Previously, before preparing the kernels, you had to sort through the kernels for a long time to get rid of debris, now you can simply buy the first or highest grade, the substandard content in them does not exceed 1%.
The most popular variety is steamed buckwheat; thanks to pre-processing, it takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare. But steaming reduces not only the cooking time, but also the number of useful elements in the composition. The split kernels are called prodel; they also cook quickly, but the porridge from them will not be crumbly.
When choosing, you should start from these criteria:
- color. Steamed will be darker with light edges, fried will be uniform in color;
- size and shape. The grains must be the same;
- absence of crumbs from crushed grains;
- best before date. For kernels - no more than 20 months, for prodel - no more than 18.
It is also worth paying attention to how the date of production and packaging is marked. If this information is contained on a sticker, it is easy to re-stick it. After opening the package there should be no moldy smell.
Cooking buckwheat porridge in a thermos
Once upon a time there lived a grandfather and a woman, there is such a fairy tale, they ate porridge with milk... And I think that they ate buckwheat porridge with milk, oh, and it was delicious for them, since they cooked and simmered it in a Russian oven, in a clay pot .
Well, okay, fairy tale, fairy tale, but we need to prepare dinner quickly and without special expenses (there is no oven, but electric stoves). I have a low-cost and simple way of brewing buckwheat. All you need is a thermos and boiling water. We boiled water for tea and poured boiling water over buckwheat in a thermos. While you brew the tea and drink it, the porridge is ready, delicious, soft, crumbly. And all the vitamins were preserved with this cooking method.
Well, now you can add milk, sour cream or fried onion with mushrooms to this porridge, each in your own way - eat it, enjoy it, the porridge is our joy!
Step by step
- We prepared buckwheat, hot boiled water, salt and a thermos.
- The buckwheat was sorted out to remove obvious impurities, the rest was washed under running filtered water. I wash it through a sieve.
- I have a thermos with a wide neck, it’s very convenient to use for main courses, especially when you go on a picnic. Place a funnel on top of the thermos and pour in the washed buckwheat.
- Dissolve the salt in boiling water and pour the salted water into a thermos.
- Close the thermos with a lid and leave it alone for 40-45 minutes. Buckwheat will be cooked in peace and comfort, the water will not boil, as when cooking in a regular pan. Why not a pot in the oven! You can pour buckwheat in the evening and leave it in a thermos overnight, it will be porridge for breakfast.
- After 40-45 minutes, open the lid of the thermos and put the porridge into the bowl. The porridge turned out soft and crumbly. If you want the grains to open more fully, add a little more water and keep in the thermos longer.
- The base of the porridge is ready, and now let’s listen to ourselves, what would we like to eat it with? There are many options, use whichever one you like best. We love it simply with milk. If buckwheat is a side dish, then that’s a completely different story. Did we have such a fairy tale about porridge, or about grandparents? Eat to your health and bon appetit!
Rice
White polished rice requires a hotter environment. Before placing it, warm up the thermos by pouring boiling water into it for a couple of minutes. After this, drain the water and follow the already known scheme, adding the ingredients you like to the rice, for example, frozen vegetable mixture. And be sure to rinse the cereal well before cooking!
Important. During the experiment (which was not successful the first time), it was revealed that it is better not to keep rice in a thermos for more than three hours: the grains may stick together.
Why steam cereals?
Compared to regular cooking, steaming has several advantages:
- Nutrients (vitamins, microelements, amino acids, fiber), which are partially destroyed during cooking, are better preserved.
- Cleanses the body due to its high fiber content.
- Losing weight due to a prolonged feeling of satiety, large expenditures of energy on digesting roughage and active cleansing of the intestines.
- Easy to prepare and saves time, because you don’t need to stand at the stove, watch and stir.
Instant cereals can be prepared before meals, the rest - in advance. If you steam it overnight, you will be able to sleep longer in the morning.
It is also convenient to prepare for lunch or dinner: if you steam the raw materials for the required time, then, if necessary, all that remains is to warm up the finished dish or supplement it with tasty and healthy ingredients.
Instant cereals, especially those of low quality, can spoil overnight. Therefore, it is better not to keep rolled oats, wheat and barley cereals, millet, and couscous in a warm place for a long time after they are ready.
Recipe for “Buckwheat cooked in a thermos”:
For this delicious buckwheat you need: a thermos with a wide neck, buckwheat, water - boiling water, vegetable oil, Kikkoman soy sauce
In the ingredients I indicated buckwheat and water in glasses. The glass can be of any volume, the main proportion is: 1 to 2. That is, for any one glass of cereal you should take 2 glasses of water. And how much oil and sauce to add depends on the amount of buckwheat you get.
Sort the buckwheat (if necessary) and rinse well. Scald the thermos with boiling water.
Pour the cereal into a thermos and pour boiling water over it. Close the thermos and leave for 40-60 minutes. I’ll add from myself that the longer it is steamed, the more fluffy and crumbly the buckwheat is.
After the time has passed, open the thermos and...
Transfer the buckwheat to a plate (bowl, saucepan, etc.)
Add vegetable oil and Kikkoman soy sauce to the buckwheat. As I already wrote in the first step, how much butter and sauce to add depends on the amount of buckwheat you get. If desired, add fresh herbs.
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How will it look like?
Buckwheat cooked in a thermos
Recipe from Father Hermogenes. “Too simple recipe!” – you say. Yes it is! But we should not forget that during Lent, culinary delights are NOT needed. That’s why I decided to post the buckwheat recipe, which Father Hermogenes (the head of the kitchen of the Danilovsky Monastery) spoke about in 2006 in the Trud newspaper, answering readers’ questions about how to eat during Lent. The recipe is interesting because the buckwheat is brewed (steamed) in a thermos, which is why it turns out like something from a Russian stove. Then the buckwheat should be slightly flavored with vegetable oil and soy sauce, and the result will be not only tasty, but also healthy. Moreover, we will use Kikkoman Classic Soy Sauce!
Category: Porridge › Porridge on water
Ingredients for “Buckwheat cooked in a thermos”:
Rules of use
Experts believe that in order to get the maximum benefit from steamed buckwheat, you need to eat it 2-3 times a week. It is advisable not to add salt or add sugar, so as not to increase calorie content. But if such a dish turns out to be too bland, you can add spices in small quantities.
It is advisable, along with buckwheat prepared in this way, to eat more vegetables, herbs, and unsweetened fruits. Take 300-500 g of cereal and up to 1 kg of fresh fruits and vegetables per day.
It is preferable to eat a portion of steamed buckwheat for breakfast, since after such a meal you feel full for a long time, which helps reduce your daily calorie intake and avoid snacking too much. However, if desired, you can consume steamed porridge at any time and several times a day.
Some nutritionists believe that buckwheat prepared in this way is best consumed in 6 meals. When steaming, it is enough to take a handful of cereal that fits in the palm of your hand. Eating such portions allows you to reduce stomach volume and reduce excess weight.
Light smoothie
This healthy and tasty dish can be prepared on the go, even without a blender.
It will be replaced by a drinking thermos (preferably with a volume of at least 400 ml) and an ordinary fine grater. For preparation you will need:
- any fruits and vegetables that are on hand. For example, bananas, apples, pears, cucumber, avocado, carrots;
- powdered sugar;
- yogurt or juice.
The smoothie is prepared like this: grate selected fruits and vegetables, sprinkle the resulting fruit and vegetable puree with powdered sugar and fill it all with juice or yogurt. Shake well and enjoy a healthy dish from a thermos.
This is a great way to regain strength in difficult hiking conditions.
Children's porridge thermos. When is a children's thermos useful?
In the first years of life, a child’s health largely depends on the regime and quality of his diet. You can always take a first-grader to the nearest cafe or ask him to wait half an hour until lunch, but feeding a baby outside the home is not at all easy. Even if your child's diet consists of formula milk and instant liquid cereals, you will need warm water to dilute the powder. A thermos for baby bottles solves this problem - just prepare food at home as usual and take it with you wherever you go. Attention: study the recommendations of the manufacturer of the mixture or porridge regarding the shelf life of the prepared product. Sometimes it is more convenient to put a bottle of warm water in a thermos, and add the powder for preparing food immediately before feeding. With the help of this small assistant you can always maintain the desired temperature of juices, fruit drinks and compotes. A thermos for baby bottles will prevent drinks from spoiling in the heat or getting cold in the cold.
How to cook green buckwheat for weight loss
True connoisseurs of healthy eating claim that the best option for preparing green buckwheat does not involve thermal exposure. It is best to prepare such cereals without cooking. And believe me, as soon as you master the method of preparing cereals without cooking, you will wonder whether it is possible to cook green buckwheat at all? After all, even without cooking, you get amazingly tasty cereal, rich in all useful qualities. So why cook it then?
Let's look at methods for preparing buckwheat without cooking.
Green buckwheat requires different preparations. If we want to get tasty cereal without cooking, but are not yet ready to eat raw porridge, we can use a clever brewing method. To brew grains, you need to take them in the required quantity and rinse them under running water. Then we leave cold water in the container with cereal for 20–30 minutes.
You need to let the grains swell. After the required time has passed, drain the water. Before this time, you need to prepare boiling water. Carefully pour boiled hot water into the container with cereal. You need to pour enough water so that it only slightly covers the surface of the solid suspension. Cover the bowl with boiling water and cover it tightly with a lid and leave to steep for about fifteen minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the lid. In front of you will be ready-made crumbly and soft buckwheat. Add any ingredients to it and eat to your health!
Boiled green buckwheat is good! Brewed cereal is also delicious. But if you want to follow all the rules of a healthy diet, try cooking green buckwheat without heat treatment. Then you will appreciate the depth of flavor. But green buckwheat has a specific, delicate, very soft and rich taste. Once you try dishes prepared with raw grains, you will never want to go back to boiled buckwheat.
green buckwheat If you have decided to lose a few extra pounds and have chosen the principles of a healthy diet for this purpose, you are on the right track! Green “live” buckwheat is a product that will saturate the body with vitamins and essential microelements and at the same time will not be deposited on the waist in the form of extra pounds! For your diet, you should choose a non-thermal method of preparing cereals.
Let's look at a couple of easy-to-prepare green buckwheat breakfast options.
green buckwheat
Fruit and berry mix with buckwheat
To create a delicious breakfast, take:
- 3-4 tablespoons of porridge;
- 3–4 raspberries;
- 3–4 strawberries;
- 2 ripe apricots;
- 2 cherries.
Cereals should be prepared in any convenient way. To the finished crumbly porridge you need to add berries and fruits, cut into pieces. You must first remove the pit from cherries and apricots. If you have a sweet tooth and are not ready to put up with the too natural taste of the dish, add the following sauce to the porridge: mix 1 teaspoon of natural flower honey with 2 teaspoons of natural pomegranate juice and a drop of lemon juice. This sauce will add piquancy to the dish and relieve the boredom of monotony.
Mousse “Charging”
To prepare this mousse you need to take:
- 2-3 tablespoons of washed green buckwheat;
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice;
- ½ banana pulp;
- ½ kiwi pulp.
- Grated suspension of nuts (any).
Buckwheat should be prepared without cooking. Then the soft cereal and the remaining ingredients (except nuts) must be placed in a blender bowl and prepared as a mousse. Pour the finished mousse into serving glasses and decorate with nut crumbs.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with Pomegranate leaves
Morning story (porridge)
To prepare the dish you will need:
- 3–4 tbsp. l. green buckwheat;
- 2–3 dried apricots;
- 1 prune;
- A handful of nuts of any kind;
- Natural flower honey - 1 tsp.
I want to germinate buckwheat. Decorate the finished product with chopped dried fruits, flavor with honey and sprinkle with finely grated nuts.
Bon appetit!
It’s easy to create dishes from this type of healthy and natural grain! The main thing is to follow the rules for preparing such a product. But to make the dishes truly tasty, you need to choose the right combinations. Let's look at what unprocessed “live” buckwheat is combined with.
It is recommended to combine this version of cereal with the following products:
- fruits;
- berries;
- dried fruits;
- nuts;
- muesli;
- natural yoghurts;
- freshly squeezed juices;
- citrus fruit zest;
- herbs and spices.
You can add whatever you want. But remember, healthy food does not tolerate harmful additives. By using sugar, salt, and fats when preparing “live” buckwheat, you kill the whole idea and natural uniqueness of the product. Therefore, try to choose only healthy combinations and fresh products given to us by nature itself. Be healthy and bon appetit!
Optimal proportions
To get crumbly buckwheat porridge, it is advisable to take two parts of liquid for one part of buckwheat. In other words, when steaming one mug of buckwheat grains, take two mugs of clean drinking water. It is recommended to eat crumbly buckwheat with salad or boiled meat (if the diet allows the use of other products). If the most delicious texture for you is viscous, then use four parts liquid for one part buckwheat. The resulting “mush” porridge will be an excellent breakfast, since the newly awakened body needs light food.
If you decide to replace drinking water with a fermented milk product, in our case kefir, then it is recommended to take no more than two and a half mugs of kefir for one mug of buckwheat. This volume will be quite enough for the buckwheat to steam well and at the same time acquire a crumbly texture.
If you want a more viscous consistency, double the volume of the fermented milk product.
Pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker
If you have a slow cooker on hand, this will greatly facilitate the process of preparing this porridge. To prepare, you need cereal and water in a ratio of 1:3. Pre-wash the cleaned grain and place it in a multicooker with water already poured.
Then you need to set the “porridge” mode and this smart device will set the cooking time itself. After the porridge is cooked, you will need to add salt and oil to it.
Contraindications
Steamed porridges are rich in useful substances, but at the same time they are more coarse food than boiled cereals. Therefore, they are more difficult to digest.
It is better to eat steamed cereals 2-3 times a week, unless you have a special habit. Otherwise, bloating, exacerbation of gastritis, indigestion and other troubles are possible. That is why steamed porridge is contraindicated in the following cases:
- pregnancy;
- lactation;
- digestive problems (gastritis, ulcers, colitis, etc.) during an exacerbation;
- childhood.
Take note of useful information, eat tasty and healthy!
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Reviews
Anastasia, 38 years old, Vladivostok: “When diabetes was diagnosed, I had to dramatically change my diet. Many dishes have become unavailable, including the favorite buckwheat with stew. But the doctor advised not to cook, but to steam the cereal in boiling water, and boil the meat separately. When I tried it for the first time, I didn’t like the taste, but it outweighed the need to eat right. It was possible to reduce the sugar level almost to normal, in addition, several extra kilograms disappeared unnoticed.”
Maria, 53 years old, Krasnodar: “I am overweight, I tried a dozen diets, nothing helped, because I fainted from hunger. But a friend who managed to lose several kilograms shared her secret - eating steamed buckwheat. At first the taste seemed bland, but after such a breakfast you can not feel hungry for several hours, as was the case with other diets. I ate it every day, and as a result, I lost 7 kg in 2 weeks.”
How to cook buckwheat without cooking?
Luckily, for lazy people like me, someone has created a product that you can make without having to sit over the stove. Of course, I'm talking about the method without cooking. There are two of them:
- pour boiling water over the kernels;
- use cold water.
The instructions from the first part are about working in ideal conditions, when you have time, desire, and inspiration. But most often we have at our disposal hands shaking from hunger, screaming children/husbands/dogs, a ringing telephone and a thousand other unfulfilled tasks for today.
In this case, there is a saving plan for a side dish without cooking.
Pour just boiled water into the container, add salt and our kernels. Cover the whole thing with a lid and wrap it with a towel, leave overnight. In the morning you will find a wonderful side dish without any hassles.
Another great option for those who had a great (or not so great) evening the day before and forgot to prepare lunch for work.
Cooking features
The classic way to prepare buckwheat is boiling, but this way, during heat treatment, the beneficial properties of the cereal are lost. In addition, there are situations when it is simply not possible to prepare porridge traditionally or when it is simply impossible to heat-treat food - for example, during fasting or with a raw food diet.
Buckwheat can be poured with cold water or boiling water and left overnight. Overnight, the cereal will swell and become soft, ready to eat. It is important to maintain proportions and not overfill the cereal with water so that it does not acquire a watery taste. An interesting idea would be to brew buckwheat in a thermos. It will swell overnight, and in the morning you won’t have to prepare breakfast.
It is quite difficult to overestimate the beneficial effect of buckwheat on the human body. It has always been considered one of the most popular and necessary cereals for the body. The specific growth of this crop makes it possible to avoid the use of pesticides, which makes it an environmentally friendly product. There are many ways to cook this grain, however, modern experts advise giving preference to buckwheat without cooking.
The advantages of this cooking method are:
- lack of heat treatment, which allows you to preserve all the beneficial vitamins and microelements contained in raw buckwheat;
- a simple cooking method that does not require additional funds or effort;
- can be used for weight loss - this product will quickly and effectively get rid of extra pounds.
Preparing soaked buckwheat is not difficult and will not take much time. The main thing in this process is to adhere to the proportions and eat the porridge on the day of preparation. There are two most common methods for preparing buckwheat porridge without cooking. The choice of method depends on the amount of free time available to the hostess.
Not just buckwheat: 5 unusual recipes for a thermos
A thermos can not only store food, but also cook it itself. And the list of recipes is not limited to oatmeal and mulled wine. For those who want to diversify their work lunch menu or just treat themselves to something tasty - 5 recipes for unusual dishes that your thermos can prepare.
You will need: half a potato and half a carrot, 3 small pieces of pumpkin, a glass of vegetable broth, 2 spoons of coconut milk and tofu cheese. Place chopped potatoes and carrots in a thermos, add boiling water, close the lid and leave for 10 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, fry the pumpkin pieces in a frying pan until golden brown, add the curry powder and simmer together for a couple more minutes.
Then pour in the vegetable broth and coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Empty the thermos and pour the boiling curry mixture over the vegetables. Add the tofu and broccoli and turn the thermos several times to mix well. Leave the thermos for half an hour until the dish is ready. In a thermos, the tofu will quickly absorb the spicy sweetness of the sauce and the curry will become even tastier.
Do you want something unusual? Here is a recipe for spicy Korean kimchi pickled cabbage soup. You will need: 50 grams of kimchi, one piece of tofu cut into cubes, a couple of tree mushrooms, as well as dried shrimp, dried onions, chopped fresh onions and garlic.
The recipe is as simple as possible. Place cabbage in a thermos, pour boiling water over it and close the lid. After 10 minutes, add the remaining ingredients, mix well and close the lid again. Your Korean kimchi soup will be ready in 30 minutes.
For 2-3 servings, take half a cup of lentils, a teaspoon of chicken broth, 150 grams of ham, half an onion, one carrot and 2-3 bay leaves. Pre-soak the lentils overnight in cold water. In the morning – cut the onion, ham and carrots into cubes. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil and let them simmer for 5 minutes.
Then pour the boiling mixture into a thermos and close the lid tightly. Then your soup will cook itself. But for a long time - within 4 hours. But you can prepare it in the morning and take it with you to work. This rich lentil soup will be ready just in time for your lunch break.
Take half a cup of rice, rinse it well and put it in a thermos to eat. Place 200 ml of milk on the fire and at the same time beat the egg into a thick foam. When the milk begins to boil, carefully pour the beaten egg into it in a thin stream, stirring constantly.
Pour boiling milk and egg into a thermos with rice, close the lid tightly and let the dish cook for an hour and a half. Sprinkle the porridge with sugar before serving. To make the dish even sweeter, add vanillin or cinnamon to the porridge. Or serve it with honey, jam or your favorite fruit.
The advantage of this method is that you don't have to stand over the pan and stir the pasta. In a thermos, the pasta will cook itself. At the same time, the water will not boil away and the pasta will not stick together. Take the required amount of your favorite pasta, pour it into a thermos preheated with boiling water, fill it with boiling water and close the lid.
If you like classic spaghetti, break it in half before putting it in a thermos. To cook pasta in a thermos, it takes the same time as in a saucepan. When the pasta is ready, pour it with your favorite sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and enjoy your Italian lunch.
These recipes will not only save energy and time, but will also diversify your daily diet. Just collect the ingredients and then the thermos will do the cooking itself. And you will have free time for important and favorite things.
