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Žganci
Buckwheat spoonbread
Ajdovi žganci: Slovenian buckwheat spoonbread broken into crumbly lumps
Before coffee was cheap in rural Slovenia, breakfast on farms in Gorenjska and Dolenjska was a bowl of ajdovi žganci with a mug of milk, or a scoop of them beside a ladle of sauerkraut or bean soup at lunch. Buckwheat flour is dropped into boiling salted water as a single lump, steamed through a hole poked in the middle, then broken up with a fork into small, crumbly, nutty lumps, a little like an earthy couscous. Traditionally lard and crisp pork cracklings (ocvirki) go over the top; this vegan version uses sunflower oil and deeply fried onions instead. Serve with sauerkraut, beans or a mushroom sauce. Buckwheat is naturally gluten free, but check the flour is labelled so. Stirring the flour in like polenta is where it goes wrong: leave the heap alone so it steams, or you get sticky gruel instead of crumbs. Chef's tip: keep the drained cooking water; it loosens leftovers and makes a good base for soup.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Bring the 5 cups water and 1 ½ tsp salt to the boil in a wide, heavy pot.
6 minStep 2: Tip the 14 oz gluten-free buckwheat flour into the middle as one heap and do not stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the outside of the lump looks firm.
5 minStep 3: Poke a hole through the centre of the lump to the base with the handle of a wooden spoon. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes; the water will bubble up through the hole.
20 minStep 4: Meanwhile, heat the 5 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the 2 onions for 12 minutes, until deep golden with crisp edges.
12 minStep 5: Pour most of the cooking water off into a jug, leaving a few millimetres in the pot.
1 minStep 6: Break the lump into small crumbs with two forks or a wooden spoon, adding a splash of the hot water back if it looks dry. Cover and leave off the heat for 5 minutes to steam.
5 minStep 7: Pour the hot onions and their oil over the žganci and toss with a fork until loose and separate. Serve hot.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 500 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does žganci take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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