Buckwheat vs. Buckwheat Groats vs. Kasha

[weinoo]

I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill buckwheat cereal to try for breakfast (it sucks)...

 

 

But is it the same as buckwheat groats, or is something done to groat-a-lize them?

 

And kasha - what gives?

Edited August 7, 2014 by weinoo (log)

[CatPoet]

I cook porridge out of that and bake into bread, it is rather yummy.

[Shel_B]

Buckwheat groats is the whole kernel, and what you bought is also the whole kernel, but cut, very much like steel cut oats.  Kasha is the groats, but roasted, which is used often in cereals (porridge), the dish Kasha Varnishkas (mmm!) and as a filling in knishes, amongst other uses.  Brings back memories of the Knish Nosh on Queens Blvd.

[weinoo]

So I could theoretically use this to make kasha if I roast the kernels first - I might give that a try.

[mgaretz]

Well the question is: "Is kasha a dish or a grain or both?"   It appears to be a dish.  According to Wikipedia, kasha comes from kashi which means porridge and depending on where you are in the world it can be made form a variety of groats (aka berries).  

 

What you have appears to the same as what you'd get if you bought a box of kasha, so I'd go ahead and make kasha with it.

 

Here's my mom's kasha recipe (and I assume it was passed down through the generations):

 

Beat an egg and then mix it thoroughly with the kasha and let it dry (about an hour).  Meanwhile saute a diced onion and set aside.  Heat up a large pan on high heat and spread out the kasha, tossing and toasting it until you get little wisps of smoke.  Reduce the heat to simmer and pour in boiling water to just cover the kasha.  Cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed.  Stir in the onions and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Some people like to add in bowtie pasta creating Kasha Varnishkas.  I don't bother.  It is much better when served with mushroom/beef gravy!

[mgaretz]

Looks like what you have isn't roasted like most boxed kashas, but I think if you toast it like in the recipe, it would accomplish the same thing.

[jayt90]

Well the question is: "Is kasha a dish or a grain or both?"   It appears to be a dish.  According to Wikipedia, kasha comes from kashi which means porridge and depending on where you are in the world it can be made form a variety of groats (aka berries).  

 

What you have appears to the same as what you'd get if you bought a box of kasha, so I'd go ahead and make kasha with it.

 

Here's my mom's kasha recipe (and I assume it was passed down through the generations):

 

Beat an egg and then mix it thoroughly with the kasha and let it dry (about an hour).  Meanwhile saute a diced onion and set aside.  Heat up a large pan on high heat and spread out the kasha, tossing and toasting it until you get little wisps of smoke.  Reduce the heat to simmer and pour in boiling water to just cover the kasha.  Cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed.  Stir in the onions and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Some people like to add in bowtie pasta creating Kasha Varnishkas.  I don't bother.  It is much better when served with mushroom/beef gravy!

Is chicken fat or schmaltz the preferred frying medium?

[mgaretz]

Is chicken fat or schmaltz the preferred frying medium?

 

Could be, but my mom never used it nor have I.  Just vegetable oil.

[hsm]

That's very much like my mom's recipe, but I don't recall her letting it sit for an hour--does it make a big difference?

[mgaretz]

That's very much like my mom's recipe, but I don't recall her letting it sit for an hour--does it make a big difference?

No idea as I've always followed the recipe. I would assume it'd be harder to toast well when wet.

[MelissaH]

But I remember kasha as being whole, and what's in the bag appears to be cut. I'm not sure how that would take to the kasha treatment, since there's so much more surface area, so many different sizes of particle, and nothing to keep the pieces separate.

[rlibkind]

Tossing kasha in an egg, then toasting in a pan is traditional, but you could also toast them in oil. (Just enough to coat ) before adding your liquid. I concur with mgaretz: kasha topped with mushroom gravy is superb.