Make ahead: Prepare the buckwheat in advance, through drying the grains on a baking sheet: Cover the cooked, separate groats on their baking sheet and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Grain Swaps
• Substitute 2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice for the buckwheat and omit all the buckwheat cooking steps.
Testers' Notes
• Buckwheat is sticky, so this very old-fashioned preparation (coating the groats in egg and then boiling them) keeps them separate—at which point they can be stir-fried, just like fried rice.
• In truth, you can substitute buckwheat groats cooked in this manner for the rice in any fried rice stir-fry. We thought we'd offer a fairly straightforward preparation here to get you thinking about more uses for these tasty, nutty groats.
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. Pour the buckwheat groats into a large bowl and mix in the egg until they are well coated, all the grains separated from one another.
Step 2
2. Heat a large, dry saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the coated groats and stir over the heat for 2 minutes to set the egg. The groats should still be separate from each other.
Step 3
3. Pour in the broth and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed and the groats are tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 4
4. Spread the buckwheat on a large rimmed baking sheet and cool for 10 minutes to make sure the grains stay separate, rather than glomming onto each other.
Step 5
5. Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, chile paste, and sugar in a small bowl.
Step 6
6. Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Step 7
7. Add the carrots, bell pepper, and green beans. Stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add all the buckwheat. Continue stir-frying for 1 minute. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer, tossing and stirring for 1 more minute.
