This makes a hearty main meal, but also works well as a side dish to chicken or beef. Buckwheat has a distinct nutty flavour that is also found in soba noodles. It’s works well with mushrooms and spinach and also Japanese flavours like miso and pickled ginger. Feel free to substitute cooked quinoa, spelt, pearl barley or farro for the buckwheat in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup/ 180g toasted buckwheat groats (makes 2 ½ cups of cooked grains. You can substitute with 2 and a half cups of cooked quinoa, spelt, pearl barley or farro)
• 1 ¾ cups/ 525ml water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 400g button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ½ cup/ 125ml water
• 1 double handful baby spinach
• 2 stems shallots (ends removed and sliced)
• Pickled ginger to taste

METHOD

1. Rinse the buckwheat then combine with 1 ¾ cups of water, butter and salt in a saucepan with a lid. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and place on the lid. Simmer for 15-18 minutes, checking occasionally until the buckwheat is soft and the water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. Add the olive oil to the bottom of a heavy based fry pan. Sautee the sliced mushrooms with a tsp of salt until brown. Add the miso, mustard and water and stir well to combine, until you have a smooth sauce to coat the mushrooms. Combine the mushrooms, spinach and sauce with the buckwheat and then top with pickled ginger. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Recipe by Tori Haschka & pics from Anastasia Zolotarev.