Here's everything worth knowing about kasha and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 13 recipes to cook tonight.

What is kasha?

Kasha is toasted buckwheat groats, the hulled seeds of the buckwheat plant roasted until they turn reddish-brown and nutty. The toasting is the whole point: plain raw groats are pale, grassy and far blander.

Despite the name, buckwheat is not wheat at all. It is the seed of a flowering plant related to rhubarb, which makes kasha naturally gluten-free and a staple of Eastern European and Jewish kitchens.

Cooked, it has an earthy, almost mushroom-like flavor and a soft, fluffy texture that holds its shape better than rice.

How to Cook Kasha

The classic technique is the egg coating. Beat one raw egg into a cup of dry groats, then stir them in a hot dry pan until the egg dries and each grain separates.

This step keeps the kasha fluffy instead of mushy, and it is the single trick most worth learning.

Then add liquid. The ratio is 2 cups of boiling water or broth to 1 cup of groats. Cover, drop the heat low, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender.

The flagship dish is Kasha Varnishkes, kasha tossed with bowtie pasta and a heap of fried onions. It also stuffs Piroshki and Kasha & Mushroom Knishes, and stands on its own in Kasha with Mushrooms.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Kasha loves deep savory partners: caramelized onions, mushrooms, chicken or beef broth, and plenty of butter or schmaltz. Its earthiness can take a lot of richness without getting lost.

The most common mistake is skipping the egg or the toast and ending up with gluey porridge. The grains are starchy, and without that coating they clump the moment liquid hits them.

The second is overcooking. Buckwheat goes from fluffy to mushy fast, so check it at the ten-minute mark and pull it off the heat the instant the liquid is gone. Let it rest covered for five minutes before fluffing.

What to Use Instead

If you have raw buckwheat groats but no toasted kasha, just toast them yourself in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. That is literally all kasha is.

For a different grain entirely, bulgur wheat is the closest match in texture and quick cooking, though it brings gluten and a milder taste. Brown rice or quinoa stand in for the heartiness in a pilaf or stuffing, but neither carries that buckwheat earthiness.

Buying and Storing Kasha

Boxed kasha comes in four grinds: whole, coarse, medium and fine. Whole and coarse stay separate and fluffy, the right pick for pilafs and side dishes. Fine granulation cooks down softer and suits porridge, knish fillings and kasha varnishkes.

Buy from a shop with decent turnover, since the toasted groats carry oil that eventually goes rancid.

Store it like any whole grain, in an airtight container somewhere cool and dark, where it keeps for several months. The freezer pushes that past a year.

If it smells sharp or like old paint, the oils have turned and it should go.

Quick facts

In Chinese

卡莎

British (UK) term

Kasha

en français

Kasha

en español

kasha

Recipes using kasha

There are 13 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 13 recipes