Kasha that doesn't stick
Kasha is the Polish name for buckwheat. They spell it kasza.
I loved the idea of eating buckwheat long before I knew what it tasted like because I had read that it's gluten-free, and a friend had convinced me that gluten was bad for me.
And I loved buckwheat long before I knew it was buckwheat. In Brittany, I had tasted savory crepes made with "sarrasin" flour. Unlike the "froment" (plain wheat) flour used for sweet crepes, the sarrasin has a deep taste and a smell that reminds me of soil on a rainy day. (Toasts made from my buckwheat bread recipe are a nice substitute for crepes.) The name sarrasin also pleases my ear because of its exotic echoes: The Sarrazin (spelled with a z) were Muslim warriors who invaded the South of France through Spain during the Middle Ages.
When a Polish friend prepared kasha for lunch one day, I fell in love with the grain and everything fell into place at last—the crepes, the buckwheat, the kasha and the sarrasin.
Not everyone likes kasha. In one Seinfeld episode, the characters refer to kasha as though it were some kind of disease that comes with old age. That's okay, they can leave it all for me! I love kasha not only for what it does in my mouth and what it does to my body, but also because of its sharp looks. It's a brown seed that sits on a triangular base and rises to a pointy apex that makes it look precious, like a diamond.
Many people have trouble cooking kasha. You can cook it just like rice, but it sticks and becomes mushy. My Polish friend gave me her Polish recipe. The trick is to roast the grain before you boil it then to let it sun itself in the oven. Here's how.
The recipe for firm kasha
1. Measure some kasha in a glass or a measuring cup, then tip the grain into a frying pan.2. In the same glass or cup, pour water, measuring one-and-a-quarter times the volume of kasha you took, and pour the water into a sauce pan to boil it, adding a generous amount of salt or a bouillon cube. Ideally, use a pan that can go into the oven and be covered, such as a cast iron pan. Otherwise we'll change the vessel later.
3. With a table spoon, measure some butter. If the kasha you measured amounted to something like a standard drinking glass or mug, then a half table spoon will do.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).
5. While you boil the water, roast the kasha in the frying pan. Roast it "dry", without using any oil or water. Use a wooden spoon to move the kasha around in the pan. If the kasha starts to stick or turn black, you've gone too far.
6. Remove the kasha from the flame. Mix the butter with the kasha until it is all melted.
7. By now the water should be boiling. Lower the flame. Pour the kasha into the water. Without covering the pan, leave on low heat until all the water has evaporated.
8. If your pan cannot go into the oven, move the kasha into a pan or dish that can.
9. Cover the pan or dish that will go into the oven. If you are using a pyrex dish that has no top, perhaps you have a larger dish you can place on top.
10. Place in the oven and leave for 30 to 45 minutes. Over time, you will see how long you like to leave it, which will depend on your taste and your oven.
Let me know how you like it! And please share your variations (there's a form below).
If you've enjoyed this recipe, you might love the book linked in the left column. It's about clean food and full of addictive recipes that are easy to cook. And between the recipes, it's a travel book with a great story.
Wishing you a beautiful day,
Smiles,
Andy
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1-10 of 26 Threads
October 17, 2017 - 16:03
Subject: kasia cubes
My Polish grandmother used to make a wonderful mushroom soup for Christmas Eve. She served it with cubes of Kasia. They were so good. She cut the cubes from a solid batch of kasia on a baking sheet. Does this sound familiar to anyone else of Eastern European descent? Does anyone know the recipe? My sister and I would appreciate having it. Thank you. Tesia
May 28, 2016 - 08:55
Subject: thanks for a great recipe!
I recently discovered kasha, or buckwheat, having bought the brand Wolff's. I loved it! But Wolff's is "instant," and I wanted to try plain, whole grain buckwheat. So I bought three pounds from Purcell Mt. Farms. The first batch I made, by simply boiling the grain in water, was gooey and gloppy, and tasted completely different from the delicious Wolff's. However, when I prepared it as you suggested, the texture was fabulous (big, puffy, substantial grains), with an amazing taste from roasting and steaming. It was a bit time-consuming, but well worth it, especially since I like to make large batches of whole grains (3-4 C dry) that I freeze in smaller sizes for use on work days. This recipe is a definite winner!!
April 13, 2014 - 23:43
Subject:
Overnite soak the buckwheat, then sprout it. You can now store it in the fridge for a day or so. Dry with kitchen towels, then mush it up and chop it until it's like bread dough, add a little buttermilk, mix in a bowl and leave at room temp for about 8 hrs, or longer if you like really sour. Put blobs of the mix onto a baking tray and cook at abt 150(c) for about an hour. When they cool down spread them with cream
April 19, 2013 - 16:22
Subject:
In Slovenia, where buckwheat (called ajda, pronounced 'ida') is a traditional food, there are, beside the 'kaša' (usually with mushrooms), also two additional popular dishes: the 'žganci' (pron. Zgantsee) which is a sort of lumpy buckwheat porridge, usally served with sauerkraut and beans, or with mushrooms, and the 'krapi', which are a sort of tortellini, filled with cottage cheese. Buckwheat bread is also popular; it often has walnuts added.
April 25, 2013 - 22:45
Subject:
Hi Malina, thank you for these cultural notes! You made me hungry for these beautiful kasza dishes you mentioned. :)
March 19, 2013 - 02:39
Subject: Kasha
Andy, Thanks for this, all very interesting. Loved your comment about the smell of earth on a rainy day, —poetic and true. Maybe you could devise a rainy day blini recipe…?! I'm always experimenting with the food of my ancestors… And hoping to get a book together of healthy recipes that tempt the more average palates into getting more healthful food inside of them. Not yet browsed the Adventure Cookbook but keeping an eye out for it. Have a good day and keep smiling… SB
February 09, 2013 - 11:28
Subject: Buckwheat
Did you ever taste 'pizzoccheri della Valtellina'? That is a kind of pasta made wih buckwheat flour, you can buy it in Italy, mainly used in the Alps region, I guess anyone might make some, with buckwheat flour and some water, and then shape like short tagliatelle. Then boil the pasta in salted boiling water together with some cut cabbage leaves, drain, and add little pieces of melting cheese, ideally 'fontina'. Enjoy!
September 23, 2012 - 05:28
Subject: Buckwheat on Christmas Eve
The Ukrainian Christmas tradition used a hard wheat, such as Durham. It was called Kutia… Boiled wheat, with poppy seed, honey, chopped walnuts; and was part of a 12 course traditional meat-free holiday feast. The tradition of throwing a spoonfull onto the ceiling on Christmas Eve. If it sticks, it means good luck for the household, and the more kernels that stick, the greater the luck. Look it up on the internet.
June 07, 2012 - 07:56
Subject: roasting buckwheat
Just place it in oven on baking sheet and bake to the desired color, make sure to turn it couple times and don't burn it. Freshly baked is much tastier. Happy cooking.
February 14, 2012 - 08:40
Subject: pot of kasha under the bed recipe
About this time of year in 1977, I remembered I'd hidden a pot of incompletely prepared kasha under my bed. It was my turn to put house dinner on the table. A reckless cook at best, and lazy, I put a bunch of yams and onions and probably some other root veg in the oven to bake, and at the last minute dumped the kasha from under my bed into a large, well blackened baking pan, about 1. 5' deep. Then I walked my dog for a while and hoped for the best. It came out fluffy, nutty, utterly delicious. Everyone wondered how to do it, of course. I did not admit to the part about leaving it under my bed for a few days, but that must be part of it. Does anybody know how to do this dish properly? I think I pan-roasted the grains first, then did the boiling water part. The bottom half of the scribbled instructions probably got torn off with a phone number on it. I have no idea what else may have been under my bed.
February 23, 2012 - 09:25
Subject: Re: pot of kasha under the bed recipe
Hi Margot, you win the gross-out contest, as well as the award for 'most literary comment'. :)
December 02, 2011 - 08:44
Subject: Buckwheat on Christmas Eve
I grew up in a Ukrainian Orthodox household and during the Christmas Eve dinner the head of the household would take a spoonful of the buckwheat mixture and flick it to the ceiling. If it stuck everyone would cheer, but I'm not sure why. After my grandmother passed away the tradition no longer existed in our family, but I was wondering if anyone knows the origin and meaning of this.
December 02, 2011 - 08:53
Subject: Re: Buckwheat on Christmas Eve
Hi Kasia, thank you for sharing that tradition. Nice to be reminded of a time when everything didn't have to be spotless and you could throw things at the ceiling. <img src='http://b.yu8.us/talk/smilies/smile.gif' alt='' /> Hope someone has an answer for you. Wishing you a fun day, -Andy
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