Buckwheat with Ground Pork

Name: Buckwheat with Ground Pork and Onion: Easy Breakfast Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Buckwheat 1 cup (170 g); Cold water 2 cups (400 ml); Pork 350 g; Onion 2; Butter 50 g; Salt, coriander, bay leaf, chili pepper to taste

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30 mins

How much water for buckwheat with ground pork?

Use 2 cups of cold water per 1 cup of groats, toasting them dry until nutty first. Meanwhile brown 350 g of minced pork with onion in butter. Combine the two, keep stirring over the heat for 3–4 minutes, then cover and leave on the lowest flame to warm through.

If you have enough time for breakfast in the morning, I recommend cooking buckwheat and serving it with ground pork. The dish is quite simple and turns out very tasty. It uses pork trimmings or the so-called goulash cut, fried onion and spices. Butter gives it a special aroma.

By and large, this dish is similar to pilaf, which is made by combining cooked grain with a meat mixture and then steaming under a lid. Crumbly grain dishes are quite often made by cooking the grain separately and preparing the meat part on its own. This is unlike classic pilaf, where the grain is cooked in absorbed liquid together with the other ingredients, often called “zirvak”.

Cooking buckwheat is very easy. The usual ratio is one cup of buckwheat to two cups of water or other liquid. Buckwheat cooked in broth turns out especially tasty, aromatic and delicate. For a better result, a small piece of butter is often added to the liquid while cooking. It is important not to force the boil: let the grain cook on the lowest heat.

Buckwheat with ground meat is quick. Cooking the grain and frying the meat with onion takes no more than half an hour in total. You can do both at the same time and combine everything at the very end. It is important to let the dish stand under the lid on minimal heat for 5-10 mins so that all the flavors and aromas come together.

Buckwheat in stores is usually sold roasted, light brown in color. For crumbly porridges and pilaf-like dishes it is better to use whole groats. Cracked buckwheat is better suited for soups and runny porridges.

Raw green buckwheat is also available, but, to be honest, it is an acquired taste. While the grain cooks, fry the onion in butter, then the meat. Pork is preferable for this dish. Though for various reasons many people use chicken or turkey, which is a good option too. Keep in mind that poultry cooks faster, so choose the spices to match.

More with pork and ground meat

Spaghetti with Ground Pork and Mushrooms

40 min

Cannelloni with Ground Pork and Tomato Sauce

1 h

Bulgarian Moussaka

2 h

Homemade Ground Pork Patties

1 h 15 min

Pork Patties with Corn (Boribori)

45 min

Ingredients

2 servings

Buckwheat 1 cup (170 g)
Cold water 2 cups (400 ml)
Pork 350 g
Onion 2
Butter 50 g
Salt, coriander, bay leaf, chili pepper to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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It is better to use slightly fatty pork, which makes the dish softer and more aromatic. Supermarkets often sell so-called patty packs: small boneless trimmings without large pieces of fat. With this meat I get the tastiest buckwheat with ground pork. It is good to have plenty of onion in the dish, so don’t skimp. And use real butter. You will be pleased with the result.
Start by cooking the buckwheat. By the time it is ready, the meat and onion will be fried. How to cook buckwheat – Before cooking, toast the buckwheat briefly in a dry pan, stirring constantly. When it gives off a pleasant nutty smell, you can start cooking. Put the buckwheat in a small pot. Add a pinch of salt, 1-2 bay leaves, a pinch of sweet paprika and, if you like, a little hot pepper. Pour in two cups of water (400 ml), cold is fine. Put the pot on the heat. As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat to minimum and cover the pot with a lid. Buckwheat cooks in 15-20 mins. When the grain has absorbed the liquid, stir it and steam on minimal heat under the lid until the meat is ready.
Peel the onion and cut it into thick strips. Set aside a small piece of butter for serving. Heat the remaining butter in a pan and fry the onion until soft and just starting to turn golden. Don’t overfry it. Grind the pork in a meat grinder and add it to the fried onion. Stirring gently, fry the meat and onion over low heat, trying to keep the pieces of meat from sticking together and spread them evenly over the pan.
Once the pork has turned pale from frying, salt and pepper it lightly. Add 1-2 pinches of ground coriander. To my taste, it is the best spice for pork dishes. If you want the buckwheat to be spicier, add chili. Fry the onion and meat over low heat until the meat starts to brown. The meat usually takes up to 20 mins in total.
By this time the buckwheat is fully cooked. Add it to the meat and stir. Stirring constantly, fry the buckwheat for 3-4 mins. Then reduce the heat to minimum, cover the pan with a lid and steam the dish for at least 5 mins.
Divide the buckwheat among plates or bowls. Be sure to put a small piece of butter on top before serving. By the way, it is very good if you add a little freshly ground black pepper just before serving. Serve the dish for breakfast very hot, when it is the most aromatic and tasty.
If you make buckwheat with chicken instead of pork, use spices that suit chicken better. It turns out nicely with just a tiny bit of curry, literally on the tip of a knife. You can also add carrot and parsnip, but then cooking takes a little longer.