Roasted Buckwheat with Mushroom Sauce

Buckwheat has always been one of my favourite grains; it works well for any meal of the day. It’s excellent in the morning with a dollop of (soy) yoghurt, great as a salad for lunch, and irresistible with a creamy sauce for dinner. The best things about it are that it’s incredibly easy to make, keeps well in the fridge and is also very nutritious. Here is some more information on the benefits of buckwheat.

For this incredibly easy recipe (meant for 2) I used:

200 g uncooked buckwheat
300 g chestnut mushrooms
250 ml oat cream
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped tomatoes and cucumber for serving (optional)

To cook the buckwheat use a ratio of 1 cup of buckwheat to 2 cups of water. If you are using buckwheat that hasn’t been roasted, rinse it with cold water a few times before cooking it. If you are using roasted buckwheat you are good to go straight from the package. I personally prefer the nuttier taste of roasted buckwheat. Bring the water to boil and simmer without a lid until the water has completely evaporated, and your buckwheat should be nice and soft by then. If it is not yet soft, add a little more boiling water, being very careful not to overcook it.

For the sauce, start by heating the olive oil on a pan. Once the pan is hot add chopped mushrooms and fry them until they start to “water”, add crushed garlic and fry until mushrooms start to brown lightly (this should take about 5-7 minutes). Now add the cream, reduce the heat and bring the sauce to a boil, add salt and pepper and it’s ready to serve.