Buckwheat: A Healthy Gluten-Free Grain Substitute

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is not wheat or even a grain, but a fruit seed. Whole buckwheat seeds are three-sided with a thick, hard outer hull that must be removed before eating. The inner seed, also called as groat, is light brown or light green colored, soft and easily chewable. The seed has a pleasant and rich flavor.

The high fiber content makes buckwheat a good substitute for grains. The Chinese have been growing Buckwheat as a grain crop for over 1000 years. It is used by Japanese to make soba noodles. Buckwheat flour can be used to make delicious pancakes, biscuits, muffins or breads. In some parts of Eastern Europe, the toasted groats are known as kasha. Europeans use buckwheat groats as whole in hot cereals and soups. Buckwheat can also be boiled until it become soft and fluffy and then eaten like rice.
Buckwheat is a low-maintenance crop which can flourish even in poor soil. It has a growing season of only 11-12 weeks. It smothers weeds and adds nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter and other nutrients to the soil. In addition, buckwheat crops attract beneficial insects.

Benefits of buckwheat

•Buckwheat is gluten free, making it an excellent substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to protein gluten present in wheat and rice.
•Regular intake of buckwheat lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides.
•Buckwheat contains essential minerals like iron, copper, phosphorous, selenium, zinc, manganese and magnesium.
•Buckwheat is a good source of alpha-linolenic acid.
•One half cup of buckwheat provides 8.5 grams of dietary fiber. That is 1/3 of the recommended daily fiber intake. Harvard researchers have found that people having a daily morning bowl of whole grain cereal with groats had a lower risk of heart attack.
•Including buckwheat in your daily diet can be helpful in reducing weight.
•It reduces risk of diabetes. Magnesium in buckwheat acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymes those are involved in the use of glucose and insulin secretion in the body.
•Buckwheat releases carbohydrate slowly, so that blood sugar levels don’t spike.
•It reduces the secretion of bile acids which contribute to gallstone formation.
•Buckwheat prevents breast cancer and heart disease because it is rich in lignans.
Delicious Buckwheat Recipe: Khuree

Here is a delicious and easy recipe buckwheat pancakes eaten with spinach and a spicy tomato chutney. This is very common dish eaten in Eastern India known as khuree.

Ingredients
For pancake:
1 cup buckwheat flour
Warm water - as required

For filling
1 pound spinach leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For chutney:
2 red tomatoes
1-2 fresh green chiles
Salt to taste.

Place the buckwheat flour in a large bowl and add warm water slowly, stirring constantly until you have a runny batter.

Heat a flat non-stick pan. Spread a little oil evenly in the pan.

Spread a large serving spoonful of batter on to the pan into a large round. Quickly spread the batter so that it does not accumulate in one place. In less than a minute the pancake will turn color. Turn it over.

In a separate pan, saute the chopped tomatoes and onions in a little oil. When these soften, add the chopped leaves. Season with salt. Cover and simmer until cooked. Cool before using as pancake filling.

For the chutney, simply grind all the ingredients together.

The khurees can be served hot with the tomato chutney and spinach. It can also be rolled up with the spinach filling with the chutney on the side.

Source-http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/