This buckwheat vegetable salad was an accidental creation, as are many of my culinary efforts. I recently decided to reduce our intake of meats and dairy, incorporating additional vegetables into our meals, even planning some meatless dinners. So I bought an assortment of fresh vegetables at a farmer’s market, intending to use these ingredients in accord with vegan diet rules in a substantial grain-based salad that tastes great. There was no bulgur nor quinoa nor farro in the pantry but a jar of buckwheat groats caught my eye. I often use buckwheat as an alternative to rice, potatoes or pasta with meat stews. So why not use buckwheat in place of the usual salad grains? It should work well as replacement for other cooked grains in salads, right?
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a generally ignored grain in North America. When most Americans hear buckwheat, they think of breakfast and hearty pancakes. But in America’s Eastern European communities, buckwheat, sometimes called buckwheat groats in the raw seed state or kasha after roasting, is often used as a savory whole grain accompaniment to stews (sometimes flavored with onion, garlic, mushrooms or even bowtie pasta), as filling for cabbage rolls, knishes and blintzes, as flour for pancakes, blinis, galettes, rolls and breads or as porridge. In Asian communities, buckwheat noodles and dumplings are favorites. Buckwheat also is appreciated as a good honey plant, producing a dark amber-colored, intense monofloral honey, a rich source of anti-oxidants with anti-bacterial properties favored in baking, sauces and desserts.
But why hasn’t buckwheat’s nutty taste and high nutritional values endeared itself to American tastes more generally? In searching for an answer, I learned much about buckwheat and why it is considered a superfood by many nutritionists.
Despite the “wheat” in its name, buckwheat is not a cereal grain. Buckwheat is a fruit seed related to rhubarb and sorrel, and thus, contains no gluten and may be eaten by people with gluten allergies. Agronomists classify it as a pseudo-cereal because its grain-like seeds are rich in complex carbohydrates, in addition to higher levels of zinc, copper, manganese and potassium than other cereal grains. Buckwheat also provides a very high level of protein, second highest only to oats, and is rich in lysine with one of the highest amino acid scores among plant sources.
As I further researched buckwheat, I learned that common buckwheat was one of the first domesticated edible grains. Buckwheat has been providing essential nutrients, vitamins, energy, and fiber to mankind for approximately 8,000 years. Some agronomists claim that buckwheat was first cultivated in China’s Yunnan region on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau and from there spread to Central Asia and through the Himalayas to Southeast Asia, Middle East and Europe. Buckwheat was Finland’s first sign of agriculture by circa 5300 BCE and in the Balkans by circa 4000 BCE. In several Slavic languages (Ukrainian, Russian, Polish) buckwheat is called hrechka (гречка or gryka), in Latvian it is called griķi, in Lithuanian it is called grikai and in Romanian it is called hrişcă; in each language the name for buckwheat is a derivative of the word “Greek,” attesting to its introduction to the region in the 7th century BCE by Byzantine Greeks. Buckwheat was one of the earliest crops introduced by Europeans to North America both as an edible grain and as an important element of crop rotation, but aside from pancakes and honey, buckwheat has never taken off in America.
I am unable to locate discussions of why buckwheat is not eaten more widely in America or why it is generally unavailable in grocery stores, other than those dealing in health food or those catering to an ethnic clientele. We are left with a familiar circularity: buckwheat is not a part of the American diet because it is not readily available and it is not readily available because it is not a part of the American diet!
I ‘ve never been served a buckwheat salad nor seen it on restaurant menus, although there are numerous recipes on the internet. Many of these recipes were developed for vegan diets and never spread beyond those dietary enthusiasts. None of these recipes, however, used the ingredients that I had on hand nor had the flavor profile that I wanted. In addition to buckwheat’s nutty and robust taste, I also wanted to highlight buckwheat’s unique and attractive pyramidal shape and dark brown color which make a lovely counterpoint to colorful vegetables, looking like jewels on a tan background. But I wasn’t ready to give up. I wanted a savory, hearty salad of buckwheat and crisp vegetables with a refreshingly tart dressing. So I pursued my goal.
But one note of caution: care needs to be taken to avoid overcooking buckwheat groats. Buckwheat loves liquid and will absorb as much liquid as provided until the grains collapse into a porridge-like consistency which a lovely alternative to oatmeal for breakfast, but is not suitable for a salad.
To produce al dente buckwheat, two things need to be done: First, the groats need to be coated with either oil (for a vegan version) or beaten raw egg (for a non-vegan version). Second, the cooking liquid should be reduced to prevent excessive absorption and produce an al dente texture. I provide details on the easy steps to prevent overcooking and adjusted the water quantity in this recipe.
In the dog-days of summer, when it is too hot to cook and heat up the house, I occasionally plan a three-salad summer dinner. In the morning before the sun heats up the day, I prepare and chill this jeweled buckwheat salad (chilling the buckwheat-vegetable mixture separately from the dressing until one hour before serving), and then later in the day, I either purchase or prepare either two accompanying vegetable salads (for example: an avocado onion and cilantro salad with Asian dressing and Martha Stewart’s lemony zuchini, chick pea and lima bean salad, skipping the parmesan of course) for a vegan meal or one vegetable salad (roasted beet salad http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/spring-beet-salads-two-variations-on-a-theme/) and a meat (a curried chicken salad with raisins) or fish salad (a tuna salad with celery, onions and green peas). Then when dinner rolls around, the chilled salads are ready to serve for a savory and delicious summer meal.
Jeweled Buckwheat Salad
1 cup buckwheat groats (whole large grain, not cracked)*
1½ cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg or 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded and diced into ¼ inch pieces
5 large red radishes, diced into ¼ pieces
1 small red onion, diced into ¼ pieces
1 large yellow pepper, diced into ¼ inch pieces
1 cup grape tomatoes, juiced, seeded and diced into ¼ pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sugar or honey
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped
Heat a large frying pan on high heat for 3 minutes.
Place buckwheat in a bowl and mix with either egg (non-vegan) or oil (vegan). Stir with spatula so each grain is coated.
In a 2 quart saucepan, heat 1½ cups water to boiling.
Reduce heat to medium and add coated buckwheat to frying pan. Stirring constantly roast buckwheat for five minutes. If egg was used as coating, roast until egg dries and each grain is separate. If oil was used to coat, then roast until lightly browned.
Add roasted buckwheat to saucepan with boiling water. Add ½ teaspoon salt and cover with lid. Remove from heat and steam and gradually cool. When buckwheat reaches al dente doneness (the texture of cooked brown rice with no hardness in the center, but firm and chewy). Drain buckwheat in a mesh colander to remove any remaining water. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate.
Cut all vegetables into ¼ inch dice and place in large mixing bowl. Add cooled buckwheat.
Prepare dressing: In a blender or food processor combine garlic, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar or honey, salt and pepper vinaigrette ingredients and blend until smooth.
Add dressing to buckwheat and vegetable mixture. Stir in parsley. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Transfer salad to serving bowl and refrigerate for an hour prior to serving. This salad gets better as the flavors meld.
Serves 6
* Buckwheat is available by internet order from Bob’s Red Mill and in some Whole Foods and other health food stores.
Photo credits: Slava Johnson
One year ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/firemens-chicken/