Buckwheat FAQ

[tangofiction]

I could write about how I went to Amsterdam on the weekend (on the bus... 12 hours each way...) or how my computer at work has been reborn as a Linux box (... which, compared to XP, feels like I now have to do everything backwards and in high heels) -- buuuuut both of these require brain power, and that is something I currently lack

Comments

[tangofiction]

Thanks -- I feel like I actually posted something useful! :D Let me know how it goes.

Buckwheat doesn't really work as instant porridge. What I usually do is make a potful of it at one time (using the directions above) and keep it in a lunchbox or something in the fridge. When I want it for breakfast, I put some into a bowl, add however much milk I want with it, cover it with a plate and heat it up. It doesn't actually turn into porridge (ie slop) unless you cook it that way to begin with, it just swells a bit more and the milk becomes flavoured and thickens slightly. Usually I add only a little milk, and then put some sweetened condensed milk into a separate little cup/bowl, and eat small amounts of it together with the buckwheat. (If you pour it straight over the buckwheat, it just melts in, and you get sweet milky buckwheat.) But that's a personal preference -- you can experiment with whatever you like. My grandmother used to like buckwheat with milky cheese, like cottage cheese or feta, with rye bread. That's good too.

The porridge I made when you were in Sydney was just regular oatmeal I think -- I don't remember it being all that yummy, but if you say so! :D

And you know the Russian words for 'protein' and 'carbohydrate'?? :D

[xenaamber]

I'll definitely get some and experiment a bit. I was a little doubtful it would work as instant porridge :D -- thanks for clearing that up.

Those were the only two words I had to double-check, but I figured out the general point of the sentence. That counts, right? ;-)

[xenaamber]

I found buckwheat after trips to two grocery stores -- unfortunately, even the fancy "gourmet" store only had the pre-roasted variety. I'll check a few other places and see if I can get the regular kind. But... I am a convert. It's yummy yummy yummy... and the smell reminds me of your place in Sydney. ;-) I'm going to try making it into porridge in the morning.

[tangofiction]

Welcome to the secret society of buckwheat appreciation! :D Let me know how the porridge-making goes. You don't actually need to do anything to it, just heat it in a bowl with a smallish amount of milk (it doesn't expand much, just fluffs up a bit -- like cooked rice).

[xenaamber]

I think I actually like it more plain than as porridge, though maybe that's just because my taste buds don't function properly before the morning caffeine kicks in! I still have some left, so I will give it another shot tomorrow.

[tangofiction]

I thnik that's because you got the pre-roasted kind, which also tastes funny to me as porridge. I don't know what oil they use to roast it, but I definitely prefer doing it myself.

[xenaamber]

It's really not easy to find any kind of buckwheat here, it just isn't on their radar as an ingredient. I've never seen recipes for it, either. My regular grocery store is relatively upmarket and has a decent selection of fairly obscure international foods (and Charlottesville's a good food town to begin with)... but not buckwheat. There are a couple of health food and specifically "international" places I'll try, but they're more of a pain to get to, so we'll see when that happens. :D

[tangofiction]

BTW most people add sugar to the milk when making buckwheat porridge, because it's so low in sugar naturally. I like it as is, but I used to prefer it with sugar.

What if you ask your local store to order it for you? They sometimes can; buckwheat is grown in the US (for flour mainly) and it's definitely possible for them to get it from a supplier. They might not get it because they don't think there is a market. (Also on the same theme, it's possible to check out warehouses yourself; some have floor areas where they sell direct-to-public -- that's where my parents get their buckwheat in Sydney, a warehouse that stocks various Asian groceries).

[xenaamber]

I'll look into those options and see what I can do. :D