Best Kasha And Couscous Recipes

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KASHA



Kasha image

For years I have had uneven results with buckwheat groats, or kasha, as the dry-roasted grains are called. I have tried different methods, both stovetop and oven, and usually mixed the grains with an egg before cooking. Sometimes my grains cooked up to a mush, other times they held their shape but still seemed rather soft and indistinct. I sort of gave up on kasha for a while, opting for more predictable grains and pseudo-grains like quinoa and spelt. But I love the flavor of buckwheat, so this week I took another stab at buckwheat groats with a box of medium-grain kasha I bought at the supermarket - and everything changed. These grains were cracked, like bulgur, something I hadn't seen before. I followed the directions on the box, and they turned out perfect -- dry and fluffy, with the wonderful nutty/earthy buckwheat flavor I find so appealing. To see if it was the cut of the grain only or the combination of the cut of the grain and the cooking method that gave me such good results, I used the exact same cooking method using whole toasted buckwheat groats. The whole groats turned out better than any I had made before, but they took three times as long to cook than the cracked groats, yielded a little less, and because all of the egg is not absorbed by the whole grains the way it is by the cracked grains, which have more cut surfaces to absorb the egg, you get some egg flakes floating on the top of the cooked kasha, which is not very attractive (though it's easy to remove them).

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories     breakfast, dinner, lunch, vegetables, main course, side dish

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 5

2 cups water
Salt to taste (I used 3/4 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup toasted buckwheat groats (kasha), preferably medium-cut (cracked)
1 egg

Steps:

  • Combine water, salt, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it reaches the boil turn off heat and cover.
  • Meanwhile, beat egg in a medium bowl and add kasha. Mix together until grains are thoroughly and evenly coated.
  • Transfer to a medium-size, wide, heavy saucepan (I use Analon nonstick), place over high heat and stir egg-coated kasha constantly until grains are dry, smell toasty, and no egg is visible, 2 to 3 minutes. Add just-boiled water, turn heat to very low, cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes for cracked kasha, 30 minutes for whole kasha, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
  • Remove lid from pan, place clean dish towel over pan (not touching the grains), and cover tightly. Let sit undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 183, UnsaturatedFat 2 grams, Carbohydrate 31 grams, Fat 5 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 404 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams

KASHA WITH MUSHROOMS



Kasha With Mushrooms image

Provided by Florence Fabricant

Categories     easy, quick, side dish

Time 20m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

1 cup whole or coarse grain buckwheat groats (kasha)
1 egg white
2 cups diced mushrooms, preferably shiitake
1 1/2 cups well-seasoned beef or chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

  • Mix the groats with the egg white in a heavy quart-and-a-half saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir with a fork for two to three minutes, until the grains are separated.
  • Add the mushrooms and stock. Bring to a simmer, add the thyme, cover and cook over very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 127, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 24 grams, Fat 2 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 266 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams

KASHA AND COUSCOUS



Kasha And Couscous image

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 1/2 cups whole-groat kasha
1 egg, large or extra-large
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 cup Israeli or toasted couscous
2 cups chicken broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

  • Mix the kasha and egg cook in a large, dry skillet over medium heat until the egg is cooked and the kasha is in separate grains. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and sauté until lightly browned. Add the couscous and continue to sauté until the onion and couscous are browned. Stir in the kasha, broth, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the broth has been absorbed and the couscous and kasha are tender serve.From Homemade In A Hurry. Text copyright © 2006 by Andrew Schloss. Cover photograph copyright © 2006 by Noel Barnhurst. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

Nutrition Facts : Nutritional Facts Serves

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