SAUTÉED BUCKWHEAT SPROUT PILAU WITH HARISSA AND ZA’ATAR
Like many of my recipes, this one started off as one thing and ended up as another. This pilau started as soaked buckwheat groats (the whole seed as opposed to buckwheat flour or flakes) for a new bread recipe that I’m working on, which got pushed aside with everything going on. So over the course of several days, I rinsed and drained, rinsed and drained and popped the groats back into the fridge, only to end up with a bowl of buckwheat sprouts by the end of the week. One hungry evening... out came the frying pan. I heated up the ghee and fried off some garam masala to get those spices in while I worked out where I was going with the recipe. Some tenderstem broccoli, a leftover wedge of cabbage and a third of a leek were rough chopped, and out of the cupboard I pulled some za’atar and rose harissa — so I guess we’re going Middle Eastern, then? A good sauté and a splash of water for some steam and I ended up with a delicious pilau of sorts, that went down a treat with a fried egg on top and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If you don’t have time to sprout the buckwheat, then just soak overnight or 8 hours ahead of cooking, or rinse well and cook for longer from scratch.*
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2-3
2 tbsp of ghee or your favourite cooking oil
¾ cup/125g buckwheat groats (whole buckwheat), soaked overnight or sprouted**
⅓ leek, sliced
Handful shredded red cabbage
100g tender stem broccoli, chopped
¼ cup of raisins
2 tsp za’atar, plus extra
2 tbsp harissa paste
1 tsp garam masala
¼ tsp salt
Splash of hot water
METHOD
Heat a pan to medium heat with a tablespoon of ghee. Add the garam masala and za'atar to the pan and sauté until fragrant.
Add the leeks followed by the broccoli stalks and sauté, adding a splash of water to steam and help cook the broccoli stalks. After a few minutes, follow with the broccoli heads and the shredded cabbage, season with the salt and sauté.
Add the second tablespoon of ghee and the buckwheat groats/sprouts. Saute until tender – adding a splash more water if it starts to stick to the pan.
Stir in the raisins, taste and adjust seasoning and add a final flourish of za’atar..
Serve with a wedge of lemon or a fried egg or a slice of halloumi or grating of cheese.
East by west tip: *Heat-treated or “Kasa” buckwheat groats, which have been roasted, won’t sprout, so it’s best to steam them first before incorporating into the dish. Sproutable buckwheat groats need to be in their raw form.
** If you’ve sprouted the buckwheat for a few days you’ll have a much greater volume so decrease the amount you use in the recipe as required - and save the rest of the sprouts for another recipe
