Recipe – Buckwheat with mushrooms, broad beans and lemon

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I first came across buckwheat whilst working for 5 years in Moscow as a celebrity chef at SOHO ROOMS, the most exclusive oligarch club.  Thankfully I discovered Ayurveda and its wisdom has enhanced my life in so many ways!

Despite its name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat but a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds 

Once buckwheat has been toasted, its colour changes from a light green to brown and is then known as kasha, and In India it’s known as Kuttu.

Its benefits are:

• Affordable, nutritious & gluten-free 
• Contains essential amino acids (our body’s building blocks)
• It has good fibre to improve colon health and relieve constipation
• It’s good for weight loss as it enhances metabolism without over-stimulating the body 
• Boosts heart health by lowering blood pressure and reducing blood sugar levels

According to Ayurveda, buckwheat is drying, and heating due to its earth element with diuretic qualities that reduce excess water in the body that can make you feel sluggish and congested, and dries up any mucus in the respiratory tract. These are good qualities for balancing Kapha.

Anyone with excess Pitta should eat buckwheat in moderation as it can be too heating.

Since it’s considered a light grain, I use ghee and spices, to balance these Vata qualities 

Buckwheat contains Phytic acid, an antinutrient, (also found in grains and legumes) which binds important minerals, preventing the body from fully absorbing them.

However, soaking the buckwheat in water with a spoon of lemon or vinegar for around 6-7 hours helps breakdown the phytic acid whilst simultaneously activating the phytase enzyme that helps release the minerals making them more easily digestible. 

Some of the minerals include:

• manganese  – an anti-oxidant 
• copper – that supports bones & immunity 
• magnesium – mineral that supports hundreds of body chemical reactions 
• Zinc – boosts the immune system

Buckwheat with Mushrooms, Broad Beans & Lemon

Ingredients -Servings: 4 

• 3 tsps       Ghee (clarified butter)
• Pinches of Vata calming spices: ground fennel, cumin, coriander, asafoetida, ginger & turmeric (recipe below)
• Pinch        Salt & black pepper to taste
• 150g        raw buckwheat 
• 300g        water (or broth of choice) 
• 1                brown onion, chopped
• 1                Celery stick finely chopped
• 1                garlic clove, minced
• 200g        chestnut mushrooms , cleaned and medium sliced 
• 200g        frozen broad beans – defrosted and peeled (150g when peeled) or 100g garden peas
• 3 tbs        chopped flat parsley leaves
• 1                lemon juice

Instructions

Bring 300g water to a boil with a pinch of salt and cook the raw buckwheat on a simmer for 10 minutes, then strain and set aside. 

Meanwhile gently heat 1 tsp ghee in a deep frying pan and add the spices to release their aromas, then add the chopped onion, celery and garlic and gently cook until they soften and turn a golden brown, then tip into a bowl and set aside.

Now heat 2tsp ghee in the frying pan, add the sliced mushrooms and fry until they begin to brown, then return the onion mix to the pan, add the cooked buckwheat along with the peeled broad beans and warm everything through.  Next add the lemon juice and stir in the chopped flat parsley.  

Remove from the heat and serve warm as a side dish or with a lightly dressed leafy salad

I like to prepare my Vata spice mix in advance

Vata spice mix:

• 1 tsp         Hing/ Asafoetida
• 2 tsp         Ginger powder
• 1 tbs         Turmeric powder
• 2 tbs        Fennel Seeds
• 1 tbs         Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbs         Coriander Seeds

Separately dry roast the seeds in a frying pan, then put them in a grinder and blend to a powder.  Add the other powdered spices and combine thoroughly. 

Store in a jar.  

@AyurvedaAdventuress
Recipe & photos by Laura Bridge 

Laura can be reached on Instagram here :

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