Food: Eleven Freekeh Recipes To Try

How healthy are we getting? Is it just me, or have you noticed that the foodie blogs are chock full of ancient grains and whole foods? It seems that we’re really very careful about what we put in our bodies a lot of the time, and that we’re turning more and more to unprocessed or raw foods to stay in tip-top condition. Which leads me to freekeh…

Freekeh (pronounced Free-ka) is roasted green wheat. To produce it, the wheat is picked when the seeds inside are still quite soft.  This young wheat is then dried in the sun, and set on fire. Yikes. The outer part of the wheat plant burns, but the seeds within don’t, because of their high moisture content. These seeds are then dried, thrashed and sometimes cracked.  And ta-dah… freekeh!

Because freekeh is harvested and processed when the plant is young, it contains more protein and nutrients than mature wheat and other grains. Win! You can buy it in whole grain or cracked varieties (your recipe will tell you which one is appropriate!)

How to cook freekeh:

To cook freekeh in the microwave:
Place 2 cups of boiling water,  1 cup freekeh, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tbsp olive oil into a deep microwave safe bowl.
Cover and cook on high for 10-15 minutes if you’re using the cracked grain, 30-35 minutes if you’re cooking the whole grain.
Remove from microwave and allow the freekeh to stand covered for 5 minutes while grains swell and soften further.

To cook freekeh on the stove:
Place 2 1/2 cups cold water, 1 cups Freekeh, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tbsp olive oil into a large lidded saucepan.
Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.  Pop the lid on.
Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes if using cracked grain, and 40-45 minutes if using the whole grain.
Check that all the water has been absorbed and grains are tender before serving

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Food: Eleven Freekeh Recipes To Try

via Mejadra Freekeh: In other words, a tasty lentil stew – Matkonation

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Do you like freekeh? Have you tried it?

x Pip