I've made this with rice, buckwheat groats, and steel-cut oatmeal: they taste even better when I toast them briefly before cooking. This adds a nice nutty flavor--maybe I'm caramelizing some sugars?
I heat up a seasoned, cast-iron fry pan on medium. When I can see heat waves rising (or a drop of water dances) then I toss up to 1/2 cup of groats in an 8-inch pan. I keep stirring with a wooden spoon or such-like until the groats become fragrant--less than two minutes. Then pull the pan off the fire and dump the groats in the boiling water.
I've tried and failed doing this to quinoa. Those tiny seeds burn so fast!
Toasting before cooking
I've made this with rice, buckwheat groats, and steel-cut oatmeal: they taste even better when I toast them briefly before cooking. This adds a nice nutty flavor--maybe I'm caramelizing some sugars?
I heat up a seasoned, cast-iron fry pan on medium. When I can see heat waves rising (or a drop of water dances) then I toss up to 1/2 cup of groats in an 8-inch pan. I keep stirring with a wooden spoon or such-like until the groats become fragrant--less than two minutes. Then pull the pan off the fire and dump the groats in the boiling water.
I've tried and failed doing this to quinoa. Those tiny seeds burn so fast!