Active Time

　　15 minutes

　　Total Time

　　40 minutes

　　Make ahead: Prepare the buckwheat in advance, through drying the grains on a baking sheet: Cover the cooked, separate groats on their baking sheet and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　1 cup buckwheat groats

　　1 large egg, lightly beaten

　　2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

　　2 tablespoons soy sauce (regular or reduced-sodium)

　　2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

　　1 teaspoon Asian chile paste or sambal

　　1 teaspoon sugar

　　2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

　　6 scallions, thinly sliced

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

　　2 large carrots, shredded through the large holes of a box grater

　　1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

　　1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

　　

Step 1

1. 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.

　　

Step 2

2. 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.

　　

Step 3

3. 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.

　　

Step 4

4. 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.

　　

Step 5

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

　　

Step 6

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

　　

Step 7

7. 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.

　　Cooks' Note

　　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 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.