The latest version of Canada’s Food Guide recommends filling a quarter of your plate with whole grains. But
which ones to use and how to prepare them? Here are five whole grains to discover as well as a cooking technique for
each one.
What is a whole grain?
It’s the entire edible part of a cereal (bran, germ and endosperm). They are rich in nutrients, especially
fibre. Cereals include oats, wheat (including spelt and kamut), corn, millet (including teff), hulled barley, brown
rice, wild rice and rye.
5 whole grains to discover
Hulled barley
What it is: This plump oval grain has a rather neutral taste that works with many ingredients. It is
the oldest cultivated cereal in the world. Malt, one of the basic ingredients of beer, is derived from it.
In the kitchen: Use it for stews, salad bases, soups or as a side dish.
Basic cooking: In a saucepan, cover the barley with water or broth and bring to a boil (4 cups of
liquid to 3/4 cup of hulled barley). Cover and simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes or until the barley is tender
and the broth has been absorbed.
Recipes to try:
Spelt
What it is: This oblong-shaped hardy cereal is a distant cousin of wheat. It has a nutty taste.
Spelt can be found as grains, and also as flakes and flour.
In the kitchen: Use it in salads or crumbles to add crunch to dishes. Spelt flour is used to make
bread and muffins.
Basic cooking: In a saucepan, bring water, spelt and salt to a boil (about 3 cups of water to 1 cup
of spelt). Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour or until one-third of the grains have burst and the rest of
the spelt is tender.
A recipe to try:
Millet
What it is: This small, round and yellowish grain comes from a herbaceous plant and its taste is
slightly reminiscent of corn.
In the kitchen: Use it for a tabbouleh, a gratin or a bowl meal. You can also make a pilaf side
dish.
Basic cooking: In a saucepan, bring water, millet and salt to a boil (1 1/2 cups of cold water to 1
cup of shelled millet). Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the millet grains are cooked, but
still slightly firm.
Recipes to try:
Buckwheat
What it is: This grain is part of the same family as rhubarb. It is also used in
the manufacture of gluten-free beer and soba noodles. Its taste is reminiscent of wild rice.
In the kitchen: Use it in flour form to make popular buckwheat pancakes, and to replace some of the
wheat flour in cookies and breads. Whole, use it to make a pilaf or add it to salads.
Basic cooking: In a saucepan, bring water (or broth), buckwheat and salt (1 1/2 cups/375 ml of water
or broth per 1 cup/200 g of white buckwheat grains, rinsed and drained) to a boil. Cover and simmer, stirring a few
times or until the liquid has completely evaporated and the buckwheat is tender.
Recipes to try:
Quinoa
What it is: These grains are white, red or black, with a nutty taste. Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal,
that is, it’s not part of the same family as cereals (grasses), but the grains have long been used to prepare
foods similar to those made with cereals.
In the kitchen: Use it to make salads, flavourful side dishes or risottos. It can also be used as a
base to make veggie burger patties. Be sure to rinse the grains well before cooking them (to remove their bitterness).
Basic cooking: In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the quinoa for 12 to 15 minutes or until the
quinoa is tender, but still crunchy, and drain.
Recipes to try:
Preserving whole grains:
Grains can be stored for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can double the amount of grains you’re cooking to
save portions for future meals. They can be used as a base for a salad or as a side dish.