Everyone's favorite buckwheat can be cooked in many ways, not just traditionally boiled in a saucepan. How to diversify your buckwheat menu and how to cook it quickly and tasty - this is what the article will discuss.
Without a doubt, buckwheat can be called the queen of porridges for its nutritional value, rich vitamin and microelement composition, as well as impeccable taste , which each of us has known since distant childhood.
Everyone knows about the benefits of buckwheat, but few people know how to cook it correctly We will look at all the ways to prepare buckwheat porridge in this article.
How to cook buckwheat correctly: in hot or cold water?
Traditionally, almost everyone prepares buckwheat by throwing it into boiling water , without even thinking about whether this is the correct way to prepare this product. In fact, it is more correct to cook buckwheat in a completely different way, which was actively used in ancient times by our ancestors.
You can cook buckwheat in both cold and hot water
It turns out that if you pour cold water over buckwheat and put it on the stove to cook, then it will cook faster, it will be softer and more tender. But there is no point in saying that throwing buckwheat into boiling water is wrong - this is just another way of preparing it, in which the resulting porridge will be more crumbly.
How to cook buckwheat in a saucepan, proportions?
If you decide to cook buckwheat, then for this simple undertaking you only need to know the correct ratio of water and cereal. Of course, it is impossible to say unequivocally, with scientific accuracy, how much water is required to boil a glass of buckwheat, since various factors must be taken into account:
- Will the porridge cook under the lid or not?
- what will be the strength of the fire on the stove
- cereal will be thrown into cold or boiling water
It is best to cook buckwheat in a cast iron pot, but if you don’t have one, then a regular saucepan will do.
However, the approximate proportion , which can be adjusted in the future, is considered to be a ratio of 1:3 1 glass of buckwheat and 3 glasses of water to prepare porridge .
If a glass of porridge is not enough for a family, then, while maintaining the proportion, the amount of cereal can be increased, not forgetting that for 2 glasses of buckwheat you will already need 6 glasses of water.
2 cups of buckwheat require 6 cups of water
It is also important to consider what kind of buckwheat you have; if it is too light , then you need to fry it a little in a frying pan without oil.
Before preparing porridge, you must carefully sort through the cereal to remove all foreign inclusions from it, such as pebbles, dry stems, grains of other crops and chaff.
After this, the buckwheat is washed under running water, which removes minor contamination. In order to wash the cereal well, you can also soak it for 20 minutes in warm water, then massage and rub it with your hands.
After this, you can proceed directly to cooking the porridge . If you want soft and boiled porridge, then you need to pour it into a saucepan and fill it with cold water in the required proportion, then put it on the stove and cook until the water has completely evaporated.
If you prefer crumbly buckwheat, then the washed porridge should be thrown into boiling salted water . When the water with buckwheat boils, you can reduce the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid.
As a rule, butter is added to prepared buckwheat porridge.
After cooking the porridge, add butter, sugar, cream to taste, prepare meat gravy or season it with stew.
Buckwheat with milk - a favorite recipe since childhood
Buckwheat is a cereal that is incredibly rich in B vitamins and various microelements. If you include it in your diet as often as possible, you can improve the digestion process, improve your well-being and lose a couple of extra pounds. Buckwheat is especially useful for children, because it is simply a storehouse of iron and other useful substances necessary for the growth and development of a growing organism. Many kids love to eat buckwheat with milk. Therefore, in this section we will talk about how to cook buckwheat with milk. First, boil the cereal itself in water. We talked about how long to cook buckwheat in bags a little higher - fifteen minutes is enough. Season the finished hot porridge with milk, vanilla sugar, honey and butter.
How to cook buckwheat in the microwave?
Buckwheat can be cooked quickly and quite simply in the microwave . This method will not only be an excellent opportunity to prepare crumbly porridge at home, but also create a delicious lunch right at your workplace during your lunch break!
Although preparing delicious porridge in the microwave is not difficult, you still need to follow some rules so that an unforeseen situation does not happen when, instead of tasty porridge, you end up with undercooked cereal.
The microwave is a great helper for cooking buckwheat
When preparing buckwheat porridge in the microwave, do not forget:
- for porridge, you need to take a deep bowl and fill it by a third with buckwheat , because the porridge will increase significantly in volume during cooking
- The proportion for this cooking method is 1 serving of cereal and 2 servings of water.
- Before you add water to the cereal, you should boil it
- water for porridge can be salted or salt can be added to ready-made porridge
- To prepare porridge, you need to select the maximum power of the microwave
If you set the porridge to cook at 600 W 8 minutes to fully cook .
If the buckwheat is steamed, then it will take less time to cook.
To prepare porridge in the microwave, you will need a minimum set of products that everyone has:
- buckwheat
- water
- salt (or sugar)
- butter
If the porridge according to the proposed recipe turns out to be dry and slightly steamed, then you can add a little more water and put it for a couple of minutes . After the buckwheat is completely ready, you can add butter, salt to taste or sugar.
How to cook buckwheat in a double boiler?
A steamer is a faithful and reliable assistant for any housewife, which will help you prepare healthy, tasty, juicy food that retains the maximum of nutrients .
And since buckwheat is one of the most dietary grains and incredibly healthy, it is not surprising that cooking buckwheat in a double boiler will create a delicious and healthy dinner for the whole family.
You can also cook buckwheat in a double boiler.
For tasty porridge from a double boiler, you need to take water and cereal in a one-to-one ratio . As a rule, 30-35 minutes . The cooking process itself is very simple:
- Select foreign impurities from the buckwheat and rinse it thoroughly 2. Add the required proportion of water to the water tank, but not less than the minimum mark , otherwise instead of delicious buckwheat porridge you will end up with a burnt steamer 3. Place the buckwheat in the food compartment and set the timer for the required time
Crumbly steamed buckwheat is perfect for breakfast
Once ready, buckwheat can be transferred to a pan and seasoned with oil, stew, and fried vegetables.
How to cook buckwheat in a slow cooker?
Cooking buckwheat in a multicooker will be elementary if your device has a mode for porridge or even a special one for buckwheat. In this case, it is enough to put buckwheat in the multicooker, fill it with water, set the desired mode and go about your business until the smart kitchen appliance “tells” that cooking is complete. If the multicooker does not have a mode for porridge , then many people have a logical question: how to cook buckwheat in this case?
Buckwheat porridge in a slow cooker
Do not despair and consider such a multicooker unsuitable for cooking porridge. All you need is to find a mode with characteristics that will allow the buckwheat to cook .
First of all, it is necessary to take into account that to prepare porridge, you need constantly boiling water throughout the entire cooking process. This means that the temperature in the multicooker must be at least 100°.
In a slow cooker, the porridge turns out especially tender
, it takes 30-50 minutes for buckwheat to cook . any of the following multicooker modes will be optimal for preparing delicious porridge
- "Bakery"
- "Steam"
- "Arbitrary"
The finished porridge can be decorated with herbs.
To prepare porridge in one of these modes, you need to place buckwheat and water in a ratio of 1:2 , as well as half a teaspoon of salt, in a multicooker. Set the mode with the required temperature and time and wait until the dish is cooked.
Important: when cooking buckwheat in a multicooker, you must not open its lid until it is completely cooked.
The best recipes with buckwheat
What to do if you don’t want meat at all? Then we will teach you how to cook buckwheat with vegetables! There is a fairly simple recipe for which you will need buckwheat, onions, carrots, tomatoes and spices. Just boil the buckwheat, and at this moment prepare a fry of the vegetables and spices listed above in vegetable oil. Combine the finished cereal with vegetables, pour in a small amount of vegetable broth, close the lid tightly and simmer over low heat until fully cooked. When serving, decorate the finished dish with fresh herbs.
Did you know that you can even make pancakes from buckwheat? Or rather, you will need buckwheat flour. Take all other ingredients as for regular pancakes: milk, eggs, sugar and butter. Knead the dough to your usual consistency and start baking pancakes. These pancakes are best served with sour cream or condensed milk.
How to cook buckwheat with milk?
Not only children, but also adults love to enjoy buckwheat porridge with milk The resulting product is healthy, a dietary option (if you choose low-fat milk ), tastes good and is perfectly absorbed by the body.
Porridge with milk - a product from childhood
To prepare buckwheat with milk, you need to thoroughly sort out the buckwheat and rinse it . After this, the cereal is completely ready for cooking, which includes the following steps:
- Measure water, milk and buckwheat in a ratio of 1:1:1 2. Pour water into the pan and bring to a boil Throw the cereal into boiling water milk into the pan with buckwheat , stirring until simmer over low heat 5. After 10 minutes of cooking, you can turn off the buckwheat and leave covered for 15 minutes
The consistency of buckwheat with milk can be very different and even more like milk soup
You can add sugar, jam, a few tablespoons of condensed milk or honey to the finished porridge
Buckwheat with meat recipe
The combination of buckwheat and meat is incredibly tasty. You can prepare meat gravy with vegetables and serve buckwheat porridge as a side dish. But it also happens that there is no time at all for cleaning and cutting vegetables, much less for stewing meat and preparing a delicious sauce. In this case, everyone’s favorite stew and buckwheat in bags will be a lifesaver. In the bustle of a big city, even such simple information as how long to cook buckwheat in bags can fly out of your head. Just boil the cereal and mix it hot with the stew. You should not add butter to the porridge, because the stew contains quite enough fat.
If time still allows you to prepare a full-fledged meat dish with buckwheat, then the following recipe is just for you. Make rich meat broth. After cooking is complete, remove the meat and cook the buckwheat in the broth. At this point, prepare the butter-based fry. To do this, fry finely chopped onions and carrots, paprika, garlic and your favorite spices. Season the finished buckwheat with chopped meat, fried meat and fresh garlic. If you love mushrooms, then feel free to add them to this dish. With them, buckwheat will open up even more deliciously.
How to cook buckwheat in bags?
Modern buckwheat producers have found a way to preserve the beneficial substances of buckwheat during cooking, speed up its preparation and leave the dishes clean after cooking.
All this is possible thanks to buckwheat bags , which recently appeared on supermarket shelves. Many people accepted the know-how with a bang, but still haven’t figured out how to properly prepare packaged porridge.
Buckwheat in bags
Cooking buckwheat in a bag is much easier than plain buckwheat. To do this, you just need to put a large saucepan on the stove with 1.5 liters of water and salt it a little. When it boils, place a bag of porridge (or several) into the water and cook for 15-20 minutes.
After cooking, remove the porridge from the bags and arrange it in portions
After this time, the bags must be removed from the boiling water and placed in a colander to allow excess water to drain. After this, the bag is steamed with a knife, butter is added and the aromatic porridge is ready to eat.
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Cooking buckwheat in bags allows you to save time on such issues as washing the cereal, removing vegetable debris from it and distributing the cereal into portions. Also, after cooking cereal in bags, a busy housewife will not have to waste time washing the pan.
You can also cook milk porridge in bags. To begin, boil the cereal in a small amount of water for a few minutes, and then add water, but it is better to cook two or three servings at once to make the most of the used milk.
To cook porridge, the cereal needs to be cooked a little longer, until completely cooked - about 20 minutes.
The amount of liquid should be such that the water covers the bag by 1 - 2 fingers.
To save time, you can pre-boil the water in a kettle.
How to cook buckwheat for complementary feeding?
One of the most suitable cereals for first complementary feeding is undoubtedly buckwheat. As a source of nutrients, it will become simply indispensable for the full growth and development of the baby. Preparing buckwheat for a baby’s diet has its own characteristics that a young mother should know.
Most babies love buckwheat porridge.
Buckwheat for a child can be prepared based on:
- water
- milk
- breast milk
If the child is not allergic and you have already tried regular low-fat cow's milk in his diet, then you can safely cook porridge from it. In the event that you do not want to start complementary feeding from dishes containing cow's milk , then you can use expressed mother's milk or simply special baby water that you use to feed your baby.
The finished porridge is whipped in a blender
As for buckwheat, it can be cooked with whole kernels or pre-ground in a coffee maker . Do not forget that if you cooked unprocessed buckwheat, then after cooking the porridge must blended until smooth (the consistency should be of medium thickness so that the baby can easily swallow the porridge in this form).
Very important: not recommended to add salt and sugar to porridge
How to cook crumbly buckwheat for a side dish?
In order for buckwheat porridge to be aromatic and crumbly, it must be prepared correctly . The first rule on the path to perfect porridge is the correct proportion of cereal and water - 1:2 . If there is more water, the buckwheat will be too soft and viscous, which not everyone likes.
Buckwheat is an excellent side dish
It is also important that buckwheat should be placed in cold water and then put on fire . After the water boils, add some salt, reduce the heat and cover the pan tightly with a lid. So the porridge should simmer for 20 minutes.
Buckwheat goes well with meat, stew and vegetables
The cooking does not end there - the buckwheat must be “wrapped” and allowed to stand for 15-20 minutes after removal from the stove. After steaming, the porridge will become crumbly and at the same time tender. And, of course, don’t forget that you can’t spoil the porridge with oil - generously season the buckwheat with butter and, before it has time to cool, serve the aromatic side dish on the table.
How long to cook buckwheat
Boil buckwheat for about 10-15 minutes. To prepare crumbly porridge as a side dish or for breakfast, take:
- 1 bag of cereal,
- 1.5 liters of water,
- a piece of butter (about 30-40 g),
- a little salt.
How to cook porridge:
- Pour water into the pan, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
- Place a bag of cereal in boiling water and add salt. One of the edges of the bag should protrude slightly from the water.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Using a fork or tongs, transfer the bag with the finished porridge into a sieve and allow excess water to drain. Then the bag is cut and the porridge is poured onto a plate. Add butter. This porridge can be served with milk, kefir, yogurt, as a side dish for meat or poultry, with vegetables, etc. It turns out crumbly and aromatic.
How to cook milk buckwheat
Milk buckwheat porridge, beloved by many, can also be prepared from bags. To do this, pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil (about 1.5 l). Then put a bag of buckwheat into the water and cook over low heat for about 7-10 minutes. After the allotted time, the water is drained, milk is added to the bowl and brought to readiness. Before serving, pour the porridge out of the bag and season with the remaining milk, butter, honey or sugar in the pan.
Spicy porridge
Milk buckwheat porridge will taste better if you make it spicy. It is prepared in almost the same way as regular cereal: the cereal in a bag is boiled until half cooked in water. At the same time, spiced milk is made: 0.5 liters of milk are heated, 1/2 tsp is diluted in it. cinnamon, cardamom, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and vanilla. Pour hot milk into a bowl of porridge and bring the cereal to readiness over low heat. Before serving, season the buckwheat with a spoon of dark honey and a small amount of butter.
With mushroom broth
The mushroom version of the preparation turns out to be especially aromatic, and you can add chanterelles, champignons or porcini mushrooms fried in sour cream to the porridge.
How to cook porridge:
- You need to take 1-1.5 liters of mushroom broth.
- Boil.
- Place a bag of buckwheat in the pan.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes until done.
When the buckwheat is ready, transfer it to a plate. If you use a deep plate and pour a small amount of the remaining mushroom broth over the porridge, and also season with fresh chopped herbs and a spoonful of sour cream, you will get a light, but very nutritious and healthy soup.
Similarly, you can cook buckwheat in bags in fish, vegetable, chicken or beef broth.
In pots
Porridge cooked in broth can then be baked in a pot with meat, mushrooms or vegetables. It's easy to prepare: boil the cereal until half cooked, then scatter it into baking pots. Add onions, carrots, slices of chicken or beef, sliced mushrooms, season with spices (salt, black pepper, curry, paprika, turmeric, oregano), pour in the remaining broth and place for 15-20 minutes in a well-heated oven (200- 220°C).
In a steamer
You can also cook instant porridge in a double boiler. To do this, place a bag of cereal in a cooking bowl and add 2-3 tbsp. water. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the power of the steamer. The finished buckwheat is poured from the bag into a plate, salt and butter are added and seasoned with milk, yogurt, cream or kefir. You can serve this porridge as a side dish, or add it to salads.
Instant buckwheat, packaged in cooking bags, is more convenient to use: it requires less cooking time, does not require preliminary cleaning and soaking, and does not burn or stick together. You can cook cereals either in water or in milk, and even in broth: in 10-15 minutes you get a tasty and crumbly side dish or milk porridge for breakfast and a light dinner.
