According to the Russian culinary theorist William Pokhlebkin, buckwheat was the second most important product in Russia, starting from the Middle Ages. The first, of course, was cabbage and the cabbage soup beloved among the people who prepared it from it (remember the famous phrase about cabbage soup and porridge?). The process of making buckwheat porridge resembled magic, so its taste was not at all what we get today in a traditional side dish.
Croup was sorted out, dried, and not every kind of it was used. Only porridge could be used in porridge. And from prodela (shredded buckwheat) they cooked only soup soups. They laid it in a thick-walled clay pot, filled it with water, added oil. And in such a pot with a tightly closed lid put in the oven, languish for at least 2 hours.
Cooking secrets
How to cook buckwheat tasty and quickly? Something in common with this technique is used today. There is an opinion that it is necessary to cook cereals for a long time, that it will be friable only if you pre-fry it in a pan. All this is not true, as are several other misconceptions.
- How to cook buckwheat porridge? The cooking process takes a minimum of time! In the pan, the cereal reaches readiness within 15 minutes, in the microwave - for 20. In the oven, just hold the pot for 40 minutes. But what about the long languor of porridge, as they did in Russia, you ask? And there can be no such languor in modern conditions, since the cooking temperature in the Russian oven was no more than 90 °. Modern technology produces much more heat, which reduces cooking time.
- Does the cereal need to be fried? In this case, it really will become drier, but a significant part of the nutrients in it will be destroyed. If we take into account that during the period of heat treatment at the factory a certain share of “utilities” has already died, the nutritional value of the product is reduced to zero. The best technique for crumbly porridge is to use a slightly smaller volume of water than usual.
- What are the proportions of water? A clear knowledge of the 2: 1 rule will be the key to always perfect buckwheat porridge. Pour a little less, the groats will turn dry, more - turn into a "mess."
- In which dishes is it better to cook? Modern dishes often do not allow you to cook buckwheat correctly. The fact is that cereals should not be boiled, but should reach readiness by steam treatment. This is possible only in thick-walled dishes with a convex bottom. The water in it evaporates faster, flowing to the edges. A plentiful steam is the key to the richness of the taste of the finished dish.
- How to cook buckwheat porridge on the stove? Remember the technique: put the cereal in cold water and put it on gas. Turn on maximum heat, wait for it to boil. As soon as it started, fasten the fire to the minimum and tightly cover the dishes with a lid. Your work is over. After 15 minutes, buckwheat is ready.
Classic recipe
How to boil buckwheat with mushrooms? Preparing this dish is very simple. In Russia, there was a favorite recipe for buckwheat porridge, which we want to share with you. It was cooked with mushrooms and onions, and the mushrooms were used dried, and the onions were laid directly during the cooking process.
You will need:
- buckwheat - 2 glasses;
- onion - 1 head;
- butter - 50 g;
- dried mushrooms, crushed into powder - 1 tbsp. spoon;
- boiled eggs - 2 pcs.;
- water - 4 glasses;
- salt is a pinch.
Cooking
- Warm the water until it boils. Add salt.
- Pour the cereal, after boiling, reduce the heat.
- Peel, chop the onion, pour into the pan. Add dry mushrooms. Without stirring, cook until cooked.
- Remove from heat, leave for 10 minutes before stirring.
- Pour finely chopped eggs, add oil, mix.
You can serve this dish yourself. Thanks to mushrooms, it gets a luxurious aroma, and onions and butter saturate with a rich taste. Boiled eggs in it play the role of a hearty supplement. The original Russian recipe - you are in arms!
Original recipes
Due to the fact that the calorie content of buckwheat is minimal (up to 130 Kcal), it can be successfully combined with more nutritious foods. In this case, the diet will not be too heavy, and you can diversify it with new tastes.
In milk
The dish of the children's table, cooked correctly, cannot but please adults. Buckwheat cereal in milk is healthy, nutritious and very tasty!
You will need:
- buckwheat - 1 glass;
- milk - 4 glasses;
- butter - 30 g;
- sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- vanillin - 5 g;
- salt.
Cooking
- Pour the milk into the pan, let it boil.
- Pour sugar, salt, vanilla.
- Pour the prepared buckwheat.
- Bring to a boil, cook until cooked.
- Add butter.
Instead of sugar for the children's table, you can use honey. It is necessary to add it already to the plates, pouring the slightly cooled porridge.
Merchantly
A hearty and tasty dish - buckwheat in a merchant style. Combines side dish and meat roast. You can use any meat, even chicken, or even beef. We will try to cook it with pork, as this meat is trouble-free. It always turns out soft, even if it was not previously beaten off or stewed for a minimum of time.
You will need:
- pork (pulp) - 350 g;
- buckwheat - 1 glass;
- carrots and onions - 1 head each;
- sweet pepper, Bulgarian - 1 pc.;
- butter - 15 g;
- tomato paste - 1 teaspoon;
- dill - 5 branches;
- salt pepper;
- broth - 2 glasses.
Cooking
- Cut meat into bars, brown in a frying pan. Add salt, add pepper.
- Add chopped onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomato paste. Mix, simmer.
- Pour buckwheat, drain the broth.
- Cook until absorbed. Insist another 10 minutes under the lid.
Merchants can cook the dish with dried mushrooms, fresh tomatoes. It allows you to use meat slices or minced meat. Therefore, it is very convenient in everyday home cooking.
With vegetables
Cooking buckwheat with vegetables is a sweet thing in the summer season. The dish turns out light, but nutritious, full of real summer tastes. In autumn, it goes well with pumpkin, in winter you can cook it with prunes, which perfectly combines with beets.
You will need:
- buckwheat - 2 glasses;
- average beets - 2 pcs.;
- small carrots - 2 pcs.;
- tomatoes - 3 heads;
- parsley - a bunch;
- salt - a pinch;
- butter - 20 g.
Cooking
- Grind vegetables, chop tomatoes into a cube. Mix with chopped parsley.
- Put part of buckwheat on the bottom of the pan, lay a layer of beets on top, then grits again, on top a layer of carrots, grits again. Finish with tomato and parsley.
- Heat water, salt. Pour into the pan with the dish.
- Put on the fire, wait for the boil, cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
- Place in a preheated oven at 150 °. Put the butter on top, cover with a lid. Cook for 30 minutes.
This dish will become a magnificent side dish for meat cooked with a piece. Or it can be used on its own, even in diet food.
Now you know how to cook buckwheat milk porridge, cook it merchants, with vegetables or according to old Russian recipes. Take new dishes to your culinary treasury!
Other porridge recipes
Pea porridge
Oatmeal porridge
Pea porridge in a slow cooker
Hercules porridge in a slow cooker