{"id":1140,"date":"2009-05-25T17:03:47","date_gmt":"2009-05-25T05:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2021-05-18T09:42:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T21:42:55","slug":"cooking-unusual-grains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/cooking-unusual-grains\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking Unusual Grains"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The other day I was buying some amaranth in Commonsense Organics and another customer said &#8220;Oh, is that amaranth? I&#8217;ve got some and don&#8217;t know what to do with it.&#8221; So here&#8217;s how to cook some of the more unusual grains. And you might also need some ideas of what to do with them once they&#8217;re cooked&#8230;..<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">COOKING WHOLE GRAINS<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">\u00a0 (** = not true grains)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Beth Loiselle&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0963747800\/debsfoodnutriweb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;The Healing Power of Whole Foods&#8221;<\/a> for some of this information.<span lang=\"EN-NZ\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Amaranth **<\/strong> : (6 Tbs makes just under 1 cup)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Simmer 1 cup in 3 cups of water for 20 mins, or until water is absorbed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Optional &#8211; toast in a non-stick frypan till most of the grains have popped first.This gives a more interesting flavour, but be careful not to burn it<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Buckwheat **<\/strong> : (makes 3 cups)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Simmer 1 cup in 2 1\/3 cups of water for 20-30 mins, or until water is absorbed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Optional &#8211; toast in a non-stick frypan first (called kasha when toasted)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Optional 2 &#8211; stir an egg into the buckwheat and cook in frypan till grains have<\/span> <span lang=\"EN-NZ\">seperated. Then add to pan of boiling water and simmer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Optional 3 &#8211; add some spice while it cooks<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Kamut berries<\/strong> : (makes 2 1\/2 cups)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Soak 1 cup berries overnight<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Rinse, drain and sort<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Cook for 30 &#8211; 40 mins in 3 cups boiling water, till tender (if not soaked, will take 1 1\/2 to 2 hours to cook)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Kamut flakes<\/strong> : (makes 1 cup)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Simmer 1\/2 cup flakes in 1 cup boiling water for 15 &#8211; 18 mins<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Millet<\/strong> : (makes 3 1\/2 cups)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sort, rinse and drain 1 cup millet<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sprinkle into 3 cups boiling water slowly, then simmer for 40 &#8211; 45 mins<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Do not stir while cooking. Serve immediately (nice with nuts and cinnamon).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">\u00a0<strong>Quinoa **<\/strong> : (makes 1 1\/4 cips)<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Rinse and drain 1\/2 cup quinoa<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Simmer in 1 cup boiling water for 10 &#8211; 15 mins<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Rice<\/strong> : (makes 3 cups)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sort, rinse and drain 1 cup brown rice (any type)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">In a dry pan, heat drained rice over med-high heat till grains are dry<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Add 2 cups boiling water and boil at slightly more than a simmer for 5 mins<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Leave to soak over night, or during the day<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Then cook for a further 10 mins<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Leave pan tightly covered and do not stir<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">If water is not all absorbed afer 10 mins, keep cooking till it is<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">NB : If rice is not soaked, it will take 35 mins to cook<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Rye berries<\/strong> : (makes 3 cups)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sort, rinse and drain 1 cup rye berries<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sprinkle into 3 cups boiling water and simmer 1 1\/2 hours, or till tender<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Cooking time will be shorter if soaked overnight<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Rye flakes<\/strong> : (makes 1 cup)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Add 1\/2 cup rye flakes to 1 cup boiling water. Simmer till tender<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">This takes from 8 to 20 mins, depending on the size of the flakes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">\u00a0<strong>Spelt berries<\/strong> : (makes 3 cups)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sort, rinse and drain 1 cup spelt berries<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Add to 2 cups boiling water and simmer 50 &#8211; 60 mins, or till tender<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Cooking time will be shorter if soaked overnight<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\"><strong>Spelt flakes<\/strong> : (makes 1 cup)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Add 1\/3 cup spelt flakes to 1 cup boiling water. Simmer for 10 mins till tender<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Optional : to make creamier, add to cold water &amp; bring to the boil together<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Amaranth Recipes<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Two of the regulars on Dr Stoll&#8217;s bulletin board posted the following recipes for amaranth. Thanks, guys!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Amaranth &amp; rice<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">&#8220;I cook amaranth along with brown rice&#8230;half and half, or any proportion you wish. I use 2 parts water (or just a bit more for VERY soft texture) to one part grain. You can bring the water to a boil first and add the grains, turn heat to low and allow to steam for 50 mins or so, or put the grain into the cold water and bring it to the boil, lower heat and steam. Slightly different textures result from the two methods. I find the amaranth &#8211; rice combo very tasty! &#8211; Jen&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Amaranth breakfast idea<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Place grains into saucepan and heat till they start to pop, then add enough water to cover about 1\/4 inch. The pot should be covered till the grain is done &#8211; about 20 minutes, or so. When done remove from heat and add a grated pear and some chopped almonds or your choice of nuts (I have a &#8220;little Oscar&#8221; food processor and throw the pear and nuts in there for a few seconds). Stir and enjoy! No sugar, nothing else added. The sweetness of the pear is enough. (The grains don&#8217;t really have to be roasted, just adds a little extra flavor because Amaranth tends to have an earthy taste.)<\/p>\n<p>Amaranth cooks &#8220;funny&#8221;. It settles on the bottom and looks like it&#8217;s going to burn &#8211; stays separated from the water till it&#8217;s done and you just stir it all together. &#8211; Rosemarie&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Breakfast Shake\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">(serves two)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Mix together in blender till smooth :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">1 cup water<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Handful of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts are good. If they are pre-ground, or soaked overnight, they blend up easier)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">2 Heaped Tbs ground flaxseed\/linseed (best if you can grind it freshly yourself in a coffee grinder and store in the freezer, but you can buy it ready ground. Make sure it&#8217;s been stored in fridge or freezer)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">2 Tbs flaxseed oil (or flaxseed oil blend)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Add and mix again, till grains are finely blended :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Flavourings &#8211;\u00a0 pinch of stevia, cinnamon, ginger, etc<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Fruit, such as blueberries, peaches, strawberries, apricots.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">1 cup cooked grains (eg amaranth, quinoa, or buckwheat)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Water as required to cover grains<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Quinoa Stir Fry<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Quinoa makes a good substitute for rice in a stir fry as in this example. If you haven&#8217;t got any leftover cooked quinoa, cook some up ahead of time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Toast briefly in a dry non-stick frypan, then set aside in a bowl :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">2 Tbs pumpkin seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">\u00a0Saute in a little olive oil, then set aside with the seeds :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">250g cooked pork<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Saute in a little olive oil<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Onion, \u00bd, chopped<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Garlic, 2 cloves, chopped or crushed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Red pepper, \u00bd , chopped<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Add &amp; saute more :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Carrot, 1, grated<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Zucchini, 1, grated<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">When veges are nearly cooked, add back the pumpkin seeds &amp; pork along with :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Sprinkling of dried sage<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Salt &amp; pepper<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Mix well, then add :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Cooked quinoa, a cup or so (depending on your taste)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Slosh of tamari<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-NZ\">Mix well together until all heated through &amp; serve.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The other day I was buying some amaranth in Commonsense Organics and another customer said &#8220;Oh, is that amaranth? I&#8217;ve got some and don&#8217;t know what to do with it.&#8221; So here&#8217;s how to cook some of the more unusual grains. And you might also need some ideas of what to do with them once they&#8217;re cooked&#8230;.. &nbsp; COOKING WHOLE GRAINS\u00a0 (** = not true grains) Thanks to Beth Loiselle&#8217;s &#8220;The Healing Power of Whole [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1140"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2077,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions\/2077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}