Wheat dishes an interesting alternative to rice

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 17

Wheat dishes an interesting alternative to rice

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts

I often wonder why w e eat rice so enthusiastically. but seldom think of using wheat in the same way. After all, we do grow wheat in New Zealand, and we certainly don’t grow much, if any, rice. It’s worth trying kibbled, or chopped wheat using it in much the same way that you use rice in savoury mixtures. In fact, it has several advantages. It doesn’t matter if you overcook it, it has a pleasantly nutty flavour, it is higher in fibre than white rice, and it costs less.

This recipe will give you a starting point You can make all sorts of additions to it What you should not do is reduce the cooking time, unless like a very

mixture.

Wheat pilaf To serve four you need:

2Tbsp butter or oil 2 cloves garlic 3 >4 cups kibbled wheat 1 cup chopped celery 3 cups water 2 tsp instant stock

powder cup chopped parsley freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a fairly large frying pan or saucepan with a close fitting lid. Add the garlic and cook gently for 1-2 minutes, without brown-

ing. Stir in the kibbled wheat. Keep stirring, with a wooden spoon or fish slice, until all the grains are hot, and are coated with butter or oil. Add the finely chopped celery, then add the water, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the water is nearly all absorbed and the wheat is quite tender. Stir in the instant stock, using two different flavours for best results, and add a generous grinding of pepper. Add an extra half cup of water if you think the mixture looks dry, cover again, and cook for 5-10 minutes longer, until all the water has disappeared, and the wheat is as tender as you like it Stir in the chopped parsley, add salt to taste, and serve. t