How to eat amaranth?
Nature gives a person a lot of food, which only needs to be prepared correctly. Amaranth in this list is not considered the most popular product, but it is very useful for the body and can be a good substitute for rice. To eat the seeds of a plant, you need to properly cook them.
Description
Amaranth is a grain native to South America and Asia. It has a light brown tint. In ancient times, it was cooked like rice, today it is used as a side dish for meat and fish. This plant has existed on earth for more than 5 thousand years. Today there are about 60 different varieties. It was first cultivated by the Mayans and Aztecs.
Amaranth is completely unpretentious, but loves a lot of sun and moist soil. It is also grown on an industrial scale in the fields, as people use the seeds not only for food, but also use them as animal feed.
Not all plants are edible, but it is possible to eat not only grains, but also roots, leaves and even the trunk of amaranth.
Kharkivsky is considered an excellent fodder variety, which is easily processed into silage, flour is made and even bread and buns are baked. It also has medicinal properties. To obtain a large amount of grain, amaranth "Giant" is planted on plantations.
Achieving a well-cooked meal is not easy. When ready, the seeds should be very boiled, sticking together, if they are grainy and rough in taste, then they are raw.
The seeds of this plant have a lot of protein, so it quickly satisfies hunger. A slightly nutty flavor is a distinctive feature of this cereal, from which you can cook soups, cook cereals.
In what form is it and how to prepare?
Amaranth can be eaten in different ways. You can simply boil it and make couscous or a special pilaf. Sweet cereals are very tasty, since the special structure of the boiled grain makes them thick and saturated.
Amaranth is also used as a breading and even in vegetable cutlets. Often the seeds of the plant are ground into flour, from which cookies and other sweets are baked. In South America, various cereals are prepared from it for breakfast, and in Mexico they make sweets. The leaves are also edible and can be used like spinach. Cooks around the world never cease to amaze with complex recipes using this product.
You can harvest not only seeds, but also the greens of the plant. It is finely chopped and frozen or dried in the sun. You can salt and pickle the product. For salting per kilogram of seeds, no more than 200 grams of salt should go. Greens, like seeds, already salted, are rammed into a glass jar and covered with a lid. This mixture can be used as an additive to various dishes.
cooking recipes
If you want to cook amaranth as a porridge for breakfast, then you need a deep saucepan. The grains are boiled over low heat, otherwise they will stick to the bottom.
You can cook in milk, water and even apple juice. For a glass of cereal, you need 1.5 cups of liquid. First, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. You can add a little butter, fruits, nuts, cinnamon, honey or vanilla.
You can cook a soup that will be not only tasty and nutritious, but also healthy. This will require:
- amaranth seeds;
- several potatoes;
- onions and carrots;
- greens.
Soup can be boiled in meat or vegetable broth.Amaranth is laid out first in the water, it must be boiled for 10 minutes so that it has time to cook well. Finely chopped potatoes are added, boiled for another 10 minutes. While all this is being prepared, you can fry in sunflower oil. Carrots are rubbed on a grater and first laid out in a pan, when it acquires a golden hue, finely chopped onions are added. After 5 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and pour the frying into the broth. It takes a few minutes for her to give her taste to the soup.
Turn off the gas, pour in finely chopped greens:
- dill;
- parsley;
- green onion.
The dish should brew a little, and it can be served hot on the table.
If the cereal becomes a side dish for meat or fish, then it is boiled exclusively on water, with a little salt.
You will need:
- a cup of amaranth grains;
- 3 cups of water;
- pot;
- ½ teaspoon salt.
Amaranth is a grain that needs to be cooked carefully. If it does not boil well, that is, no one will become such a mess. Begin the procedure for preparing grain by pouring it into a pot of water. For best results, we recommend using a medium sized saucepan.
Before turning on the fire, add about half a teaspoon of salt and mix well until completely dissolved. Now you can put the pan on the fire. The groats should come to a boil over high heat, then it is reduced to a minimum. You do not need to immediately cover with a lid, as water can simply run away and flood the burner. It is installed on the pan after the fire is reduced.
Porridge is cooked for 25 minutes, this time is enough for all the water to be absorbed into the grains. When there is no moisture left, taste the porridge, if it is still very grainy, it is better to add a little liquid and cook more.You can replace plain water with any broth, add a little frying or just butter to the porridge at the end, this will make the side dish even tastier and richer.
Eating amaranth is beneficial. Often it can be found in a flower bed as an ornamental plant, but not every housewife knows that the plant is edible. Useful bran is made from it, and in general, the scope of amaranth is extensive.
You will learn about the benefits of amaranth from the following video.