Buckwheat kasha

Ingredients

Kasha

• 300 gwhole roasted buckwheat groats
• 600 mlwater
• 1 tspsalt
• 60 gbutter

Optional additions

• 1onion, chopped and fried in butter
• 2hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 30 gdried porcini, soaked

Directions

1. Pick over the groats and take out any black husks or small stones, then rinse them in cold water and drain them well.
2. Toast the drained groats in a dry heavy pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they smell nutty. Even groats sold ready-roasted improve for this, and it is what keeps the grains separate rather than letting them go to porridge.
3. Add the water and the salt, using exactly twice the volume of the buckwheat. Buckwheat is far less forgiving about this ratio than rice is, and there is no correcting it later.
4. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat to its lowest setting and put the lid on.
5. Cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid even once. Every look lets out steam the grain needs, and you cannot add water part way through without ruining the texture.
6. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered and undisturbed for a further 10 minutes, so the residual steam finishes the grains.
7. Add the butter and fork it through gently, lifting rather than stirring, so that the grains stay whole and separate.
8. Serve as it is alongside meat, or fork through fried onion and chopped hard-boiled egg for grechka po-kupecheski.

Technique

• One part buckwheat to two parts water, lid on, then a rest off the heat. Those three things are the whole method.
• Buckwheat suits poor northern soils and short summers, which is why it became the everyday Russian grain rather than a speciality one.
• Leftover kasha fries beautifully the next day in butter with an egg broken over it.

Substitutions

• Green, unroasted buckwheat, which is milder and needs the toasting step even more than the roasted kind.
• Stock in place of water, which is not traditional but is very good.

Variations

• With soaked dried porcini and their soaking liquid used as part of the measured water.
• Cooked with milk and sugar as a breakfast porridge.
• Baked in a covered clay pot in a low oven, which is the older method.

History

Toasted buckwheat groats, simmered in water or broth until tender and fluffy, documented across Russia for many centuries as one of the country’s most essential staple foods, with buckwheat cultivation particularly well suited to Russia’s climate and soil conditions compared to wheat in many regions. Its simple preparation and substantial nutritional value made buckwheat kasha historically an accessible, affordable staple food across all levels of Russian society, and the dish carries significant cultural weight within Russian identity, reflected in the well-known Russian saying that kasha is our mother, expressing the grain’s deep, foundational importance to Russian daily life and nutrition. Buckwheat kasha remains a staple of Russian home cooking, commonly served as a side dish or breakfast porridge.

Frequently asked questions

What is Buckwheat kasha?

Buckwheat kasha is a salad & side from Russia: toasted buckwheat with butter, the everyday grain. Toasted buckwheat groats, simmered in water or broth until tender and fluffy, documented across Russia for many centuries as one of the country’s most essential staple foods, with buckwheat cultivation particularly well suited to Russia’s climate and soil conditions compared to wheat in many regions. Its simple preparation and substantial nutritional value made buckwheat kasha historically an accessible, affordable staple food across all levels of Russian society, and the dish carries significant cultural weight within Russian identity, reflected in the well-known Russian saying that kasha is our mother, expressing the grain’s deep, foundational importance to Russian daily life and nutrition. Buckwheat kasha remains a staple of Russian home cooking, commonly served as a side dish or breakfast porridge.

How long does Buckwheat kasha take to make?

Buckwheat kasha takes 5 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Buckwheat kasha?

Yes, within limits. Green, unroasted buckwheat, which is milder and needs the toasting step even more than the roasted kind. Stock in place of water, which is not traditional but is very good.

What is the most important thing to get right in Buckwheat kasha?

Toast the drained groats in a dry heavy pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they smell nutty. Even groats sold ready-roasted improve for this, and it is what keeps the grains separate rather than letting them go to porridge.