Kasha

Method

1. mix2 min
   cold, off heat
   buckwheat groats + beaten egg, stirred until every grain is slick and none are stuck together — the egg is not a binder here, it is a coating that will set into a waterproof shell in the next step
2. toast6 min
   dry skillet, medium, stirring constantly
   coated groats, until the egg goes from wet and clinging to matte and papery, the grains rattle loose against the pan, and the smell turns from raw and grassy to nutty and toasted. Two things just happened: the surface starch browned, which is the whole flavor of kasha, and the set egg now slows water entry so each grain hydrates from the outside in instead of blowing out at the seams. Stop while they are separate — clumped grains mean the pan was too crowded or too cool
3. boil5 min
   separate pot, full boil
   chicken stock + salt + half the butter, brought to a hard boil and kept there until the moment it goes in
4. simmer11 min
   lowest heat, tightly covered, no stirring
   toasted groats + boiling stock poured over all at once — it will hiss and seize, which is correct, the shell sets rather than softens. Cover and do not lift the lid or stir: stirring abrades the toasted skin off the grains and the freed starch turns the pot to paste. Done when the liquid is gone and small craters show on the surface
5. rest8 min
   off heat, still covered
   the pan, undisturbed — the outer layers are hydrated but the cores are not, and trapped steam finishes them evenly. Skipping this leaves chalky centers under soft skins
6. fold2 min
   warm
   + remaining butter + black pepper + parsley, turned through with a fork rather than a spoon so the grains stay whole and distinct