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Buckwheat merchant style in a slow cooker

Merchant-Style Buckwheat in a Slow Cooker

An unusual, fragrant, and delicious grain dish for the whole family! Merchant-style buckwheat in a slow cooker turns out just as slow-cooked and tender as if it came from a traditional Russian wood oven. Adding meat and mushrooms makes it hearty and really flavorful. This is how modern appliances bring old Russian recipes to life!

IrinaPrimorochka

Recipe author

Buckwheat merchant style in a slow cooker

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Buckwheat groats (two rice-cooker cups)

280

Pork (shoulder)

300

Mushrooms

300

Onion

Carrot

Garlic

Water (four rice-cooker cups)

640

Vegetable oil

Bay leaf

Dry spices

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 20 % 5 g

Fats 36 % 9 g

Carbohydrates 44 % 11 g

138 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make merchant-style buckwheat in a slow cooker? Gather your ingredients. Use any meat — beef and chicken both work; I used pork shoulder. Same with the mushrooms: any wild variety works, and it's especially good with porcini. In winter, dried or frozen mushrooms stand in perfectly for fresh.
Step 2:

Rinse the meat, pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels, and cut it into small pieces.
Step 3:

Pour the oil into the slow cooker bowl and set it to a mode suitable for frying (mine is "Fry" at 285°F / 140°C) for 30 minutes. Once the oil is hot, add the meat. Fry it, stirring, with the lid open for 5 minutes.
Step 4:

Meanwhile, wash and peel the vegetables. Grate the carrot on the coarse side of a box grater and dice the onion.
Step 5:

Once the meat has turned pale, add the vegetables, stir, and close the lid. Leave it for 10 minutes.
Step 6:

Pick over the buckwheat if needed, then rinse it thoroughly several times until the water runs clear. Drain it in a sieve to get rid of excess liquid.
Step 7:

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp sponge — that cleans them without soaking up extra moisture. Slice them about 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) thick. Pre-boil wild mushrooms; dried ones need to soak for a few hours first. Pour the soaking water into the slow cooker in place of some of the plain water — it adds extra flavor and aroma to the dish.
Step 8:

Add the mushrooms to the vegetables, add salt, and stir. Close the lid and cook until the mode finishes.
Step 9:

Then add the chopped garlic, spices, and bay leaf. Add the buckwheat.
Step 10:

Pour in hot water so the slow cooker doesn't waste extra time heating it. No need to stir. Close the lid and set a mode suitable for cooking buckwheat (mine is "Grains") for 40 minutes. After it beeps, hold the dish on the "Keep Warm" mode for 30 minutes. If your cooker doesn't have that mode, just leave the dish inside without opening the lid.
Step 11:

After that, open the lid and stir the dish.
Step 12:

Our delicious buckwheat is ready — hearty, fragrant, and really tasty! Enjoy!

I made this in a Polaris 0517 AD slow cooker (860 watts).
Instead of fresh, you can use frozen or dried mushrooms (you'll need about 5 to 6 times less dried than fresh). Thaw frozen mushrooms however is convenient (for example, in the microwave — check your appliance's manual) and drain off the liquid; or, if the amount of liquid isn't critical, use them without thawing. Dried mushrooms should be rinsed well, since they aren't washed before drying, then soaked in cold water for at least 2 to 3 hours.
For all the tricks of cooking buckwheat and how to pick a good one, there's plenty of helpful information out there worth reading.
Keep in mind that the cooking time and settings here are approximate. Every slow cooker behaves a little differently, and even identical models from the same manufacturer can vary. Before trying a new recipe, read your machine's manual, then practice with dishes you already know before moving on to new ones, adjusting the setting and timing to suit your own appliance.