Freekeh: Young, Green Wheat

An ancient grain with a nutty, smoky flavor to elevate your buddha bowl experience. 

Freekeh is young, green wheat, harvested before the wheat matures. It comes in full or cracked grain versions and tastes earthy, nutty, and smoky. Freekeh is very easy to substitute for other grains like rice or quinoa, unless you’re celiac. Freekeh is still wheat, so it is not gluten-free. But for the rest of us, it’s a new flavor to add into the rotation. 

Use a 3-1 ratio of water to grain, so if you're cooking 1 cup of freekeh, use 3 cups of water. 

Bring the freekeh, water, and a pinch of salt to a boil together, then reduce to a simmer until the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. 

If you’re using cracked freekeh, evaporating the water should take only 15 minutes. Full grains can take up to 45 minutes. 

I’m using this batch for a set of buddha bowls. It goes well with acidic dressings, like a nutty, ginger, lime combination or a lemon-tahini sauce. It also does well with an herby shawarma white sauce. 

Freekeh is considered an ancient grain and you mainly see it in mediterranean & middle eastern cuisine - so those flavors will complement the freekeh well.

Speaking of buddha bowls, on the Buddha Bowl blog post, I have a free ebook for you explaining what they are, why you want them, and how to make the best of them.