Kasha
Posted by apstaats on Jan 26, 2007 · Member since Mar 2006 · 661 posts
I just tried kasha for the first time, and I found it repulsive. I love trying new things, and I love grains, but I was really grossed out by the smell and taste. I tried it plain, and I tried it in a soup recipe that called for it, but the taste was overpowering. Did I get a spoiled batch, or is it supposed to taste funky? Does anyone else not like it?
You're not alone. I found kasha gross. I don't like the taste or the texture. One non-vegan recipe but Ovo-vegetarian recipe I tried called for sauteing the grains with a beaten egg. It was awful. I guess it's an acquired taste that I have no desire to acquire!
Thanks for the reply. I thought maybe I messed it up or something. I was so excited to try it too. It looks so cute and nutty.
I was also very disappointed when I first tried Kasha. It smells awful and tastes just as awful and I don't know if there are any recipes with kasha that taste good. I'm still looking years later.
My family and I couldn't stand it either. My husband said it tasted like dirt. I've found other grains I like much, much, much more!
A lot of the cereals I eat contain puffed kasha--and it tastes analogous to puffed wheat. When I ate the actual grain, cooked in the fashion you discribed, I was disgusted too. Weird how different and smelly it was... :-\
Maybe that's why they puff it. My adopted Jewish mother says that life is divided into 2 groups, those who like kasha and those who don't! I think they prepare it with more variety in places like Turkey but the only recipe I've found online so far is Kasha Varniskes (with bow-tie pasta and onion.) That involves dry-frying it with the egg...Personally I like KV but then I'm eccentric...I need to get creative and make something up, or learn to read Turkish cookbooks...
I just tried kasha for the first time last night and while the smell is a bit.... off-putting, I found that in combination with other things it tastes quite good. I made up a recipe last night that I'm going to submit here, but as a preview, here it is. I thought this dish was delish!
Here are the ingredients I used.
1 cup kasha- roasted buckwheat groats.
2 cups water
dash of salt and pepper
1 t olive oil
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
4 brussel sprouts, quartered
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 T chana masala
So, I started boiling water and threw in the salt and pepper. While that was heating, I toasted the kasha in a pan for a couple minutes, till it started browning, then transferred it to the boiling water. I reduced the heat, covered the pot, and let it sit for ~12 minutes.
In the still-hot pan, I heated up some olive oil, then stirred in the onion and let them cook till they started turning black. They taste and smell so good when they're roasted like that! Then I put in the brussel sprouts, stirred them around a bit, and then the chickpeas. Stirred, added chickpeas, stirred, let it simmer.
I checked on the kasha, which was about done. Little bit of extra water, which was soon absorbed. Et voila, there is my meal.
i just submitted a recipe for Kasha Varenishkes... my boyfriend thought to hate kasha until he tried that, maybe someone will give it a try? i love the stuff personally but i also like vegemite and weird things like that :)
I was just thinking of this thread yesterday, as I saw the sad bag of kasha on the shelf. Could I put kasha in pancakes to make buckwheat pancakes? Would that be palatable to me?
I will try the varenishkes when the recipe comes up. Thanks!
i am russian so i guess i'm just used to the 'off-putting smell' so many of you find. it's not bad at all!
when i was a kid they served buckwheat boiled in milk and a bit of sugar in my kindergarten. maybe you could try it with soy milk? i don't know.
i like the taste and the texture. try having it with ketchup (i've heard you can eat even sole with it) or with this 'white' gravy: heat some oil in a skillet and add flour. keep stirring and add bullion until there are no lumps. add salt, pepper, lemon juice, dill or parsley.
Tried to like it, couldn't like it. I also tried the sauteed in egg white sort of recipe and it was just... ick. I really, really tried to like it!!!
And the first time I bought it... it was in one of those dispensers in the bulk aisle where you pull down the handle, you know? It came gushing out and I ended up buying a bag that was about as big as a throw pillow. I figured I'd like it because what's not to like about a grain... so I had a TON of the stuff and I really couldn't stand it. I felt bad just throwing it away, so I held on to it for about a year. ::)
My Mom used to make buckwheat pancakes - I think they are made out of buckwheat flour - so you would have to grind the Kasha to use it.
I like Kasha - a Russian friend made it for me, and I thought it was good. Of course, I grew up eating buckwheat pancakes so maybe that's why. And, I like almost anything vegan!
I realize this is an old post. But I just finished eating kasha like 5 minutes ago... I have been cooking it for years since I used to be married to a Jew. I had to learn... Anyway... It is really easy to mess up, too much liquid (I only use a low sodium broth, water is not flavorful enough) without roasting the buckwheat correctly will make you a porridge, which is what Kasha means in Russian BTW. Also this is an instance where size matters. If you are making a pilaf, or substitute for rice, you are best off using the medium granulation, Wolff's is the best and you can get it online on Amazon. My final suggestion assuming you cook the kasha and it is drier than it is wet, nice and fluffy, is that you sprinkle with liquid aminos. This adds a lot of flavor! Good luck and email me for more tips! It is worth learning to cook kasha, it is the healthiest fruit out there!
........reminds me of Seinfeld (well George and his parents)