Kasha are toasted buckwheat groats, which is a grain that looks like grass and has a name that implies wheat, but is neither. It's its own grain with origins in Southeast Asia. Now it is primarily grown in China and Russia. You can eat it like a hot cereal, use it as a grain replacement for rice or quinoa or use it ground up to make buckwheat pancakes or Japanese soba noodles. It's full of fiber and antioxidants. It helps reduce your risk for heart disease. It also tastes good!
This recipe called for either plain buckwheat groats or kasha. I elected to use kasha for a fuller taste. Here are the rest of the ingredients:
1 Tb olive oil
3/4 chopped onion
3/4 chopped red bell pepper
3 cloves minced garlic (approx. 1 Tb)
1/4 cup kasha or buckwheat groats
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups low sodium veggie broth
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (aka 1 15oz can), rinsed and drained
1 cup grated carrots (equals about two medium sized carrots)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 bay leaf
1/4 chopped cilantro
2 Tb fresh squeezed lime juice
Alright, so here's my two cents on ingredients. Ry is a stickler for the exacting approach to cooking. I'm not. So when I made this recipe I guesstimated based on what I had in my pantry. Instead of measuring out 3/4 cup onion a used a whole medium-large onion. Maybe it was more than the recipe called for but so what, they cook down and how can you go wrong with more onions?
Also, I elected to use more veggie broth and more garlic. We buy the 4 cup boxes of broth and I like brothy soup. Also, don't wimp out on garlic by using dried spices, lame. Garlic is cheap and if you don't like mincing it, buy a garlic press. Ry maintains that you still should peel it before putting it in the press, but sometimes I don't, depends on my mood. I leave the skin on, pop the cloves in and press it right into the pot, then repeat. I felt both of these were positive additions for our taste palate.
Finally, when I made this soup in the past I've also subbed things out, like black eyed peas for the black beans or canned green chilies for the red peppers when I didn't have what the recipe called for. Feel free to do it. You never know when you'll discover a pleasant surprise.
I prepped all of the ingredients first, partially for a good photo op, but partially to make the process easier. This soup cooks really quick, so it's helpful to have things ready to go.
The cooking process is really just a matter of throwing things in the pot for a quick saute, adding the broth and waiting. Here's what VT says to do:
Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and saute for five 5 minutes. Add garlic, kasha and chili powder and saute 3 more minutes. Stir in broth beans carrots, corn, bay leaf and 2 cups broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes or until the kasha is tender. Stir in cilantro and lime juice just before serving.
Ingredients sauteing in the pot prior to broth.
I mucked up this order when I was putting it in and it didn't really matter all that much, so no pressure. I think the addition of an avocado plopped into your bowl would also make for awesome soup. This vaguely reminds me of a really easy version of sopa azteca. The funny thing is that several months ago I modified a version of a recipe for sopa from Rick Bayless' Chicago restaurant Topolobampo to make it vegan and for all the hours of work it didn't provide me as much satisfaction as this simple and healthier soup.
Here's what Ry was doing while I was cooking. Can you believe our beast is 8 years old and acting like this?
Finished product
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