How to properly and tasty cook wheat?
Despite the fact that the benefits of wheat for human health have long been proven, dishes based on it are still a rare guest on the tables of Russian families. In addition, not all housewives know how to cook this cereal correctly and tasty, in particular, many have questions about the time of its preparation. Therefore, it is worth considering recipes for various cereals containing wheat.
Peculiarities
Due to its composition, wheat can bring many benefits to the human body.
It contains large amounts of vitamins:
- A and beta-carotene;
- B1, B2, B5, B6 and B9;
- C;
- E;
- H;
- RR.
This cereal is also rich in important trace elements, among which most of all in it:
- magnesium;
- copper;
- potassium;
- sodium;
- phosphorus;
- aluminum;
- titanium;
- sulfur;
- silicon;
- zinc;
- gland.
The BJU formula for wheat usually looks like this:
- 13% protein;
- up to 3% fat;
- up to 58% carbohydrates.
The nutritional value of 100 grams of this product is about 300 kilocalories.
Thanks to this unique composition, wheat-based dishes:
- improve metabolism;
- contribute to the detoxification of the body (especially cholesterol is excreted);
- have a beneficial effect on immunity;
- improve the functions of the digestive system (due to the content of fiber);
- strengthen nails and hair.
Wheat broth has been used in folk medicine since ancient times.
The main contraindication to the use of this cereal for food is individual intolerance to its individual components, among which gluten allergy is very common.Wheat porridge is strictly contraindicated for people with this disease.
Cooking
Wheat differs significantly from most more familiar cereals in terms of cooking time. So, whole grains must first be soaked in boiling water for three hours, but even after this procedure, they will have to be cooked until fully cooked for at least three, or even four hours.
The purified version of the cereal requires a different procedure for proper preparation - it must be soaked in boiling water for a solid ten hours, but after that it is cooked for two to three hours.
Crushed cereals are prepared significantly less time - up to twenty minutes.
Recipes
From wheat groats you can cook delicious and healthy dishes.
- Porridge on the water
The easiest way to prepare this cereal is to boil it in water. The basic proportion of the right wheat porridge is 4 cups of water per 1 cup of cereal. In this case, water should be added as it boils away. Salt is added 20 minutes before the end of cooking. Butter is added to the finished porridge and served, although it will be even tastier if you let it brew for half an hour.
You can diversify the taste of this dish with the help of additional ingredients, for example, it will be tasty and healthy to add half an onion. In this case, it is recommended to grind boiled wheat twice in a meat grinder, fry the onion in butter, add ground boiled cereals to it, cover the pan with a lid and leave to languish for five minutes.
-on milk
A variant of the wheat dish with milk is usually prepared as follows. 1 glass of water is added to 1 glass of cereal, the resulting mixture is cooked on a moderate burner flame until the liquid has completely evaporated. After that, about 2 cups of milk are added, in which the porridge will continue to cook until tender.20 minutes before the end of cooking, salt and sugar are added to taste. The finished dish is allowed to brew for 20 minutes or brought in a warm oven. The taste of the dish can be improved by adding butter.
The calorie content of such a dish will be much higher than that of the option on the water, but the high fat content will help the body to more fully absorb the vitamins and minerals contained in wheat.
- With honey
The most common version of wheat porridge with the addition of honey is called kutya and is usually served at the table only at the Christmas Eve. However, nothing prevents modern housewives from preparing this tasty and healthy dish more than once a year.
The procedure for preparing kutya in terms of cooking wheat differs little from the classic porridge on the water, but the ingredients are different. The proportion of water and grains for kutia is usually 1 liter of water per three glasses of cereal.
Add to boiled porridge:
- 2 cups crushed poppy seeds in a blender;
- 2 cups chopped nuts;
- 2 cups raisins;
- 6-10 tablespoons of honey
Tips
Since even the most thoroughly cleaned cereals by the manufacturer can still contain unwanted impurities, it must be washed in cold water before preparing any dish. Crushed wheat does not need to be washed before cooking.
In addition to following the recipe, it is important to choose the right cooking utensils for the taste and health of the dishes. Wide pans with a relatively thick bottom are best suited for cereal cereals, and it is best to find cast iron cauldrons. The size of the pan should be chosen based on the fact that the volume of the finished dish will exceed the volume of the original cereal by about 2.5 times.
Having mastered the preparation of dishes from wheat, you can try to combine it with other cereals or use it in various salads.At the same time, for salads, it will be enough to cook cereals not until fully cooked, but for about an hour.
How to cook a very tasty wheat porridge, see the video below.