Stir-Fried Buckwheat

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.

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.

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.

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.

Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, chile paste, and sugar in a small bowl.

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.

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.

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.

Reprinted with permission from Grain Mains: 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Copyright © 2012 by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Photographs by Tina Rupp. Published by Rodale, Inc.