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Cashew Buckwheat Curry with Garlic Kale

I know what you are thinking, another dish served in bowls.

I can’t help it; I just love it when food is served in bowls, like curries, soups, Buddha bowls, and oatmeal. Well, January is the month when you hide all the leftover cookies, cakes, and other sweets from your sight and focus on making healthy meals. This is the perfect healthy yet filling dish to make on a weekday. It’s made in one skillet and requires less than 40 minutes to prepare.

This creamy curry is lightly spiced with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and smoked paprika for a little bit of heat. The base is buckwheat groats, which are cooked in a mix of coconut milk and water.

Buckwheat is not a grain. It’s a gluten-free plant; don’t ask me why there is “wheat” in the name though. It has a soft texture, similar to arborio rice, with a nuttier flavor. This curry reminds me of risotto in terms of texture.

Curried Buckwheat with Kale

You start by making kasha, which is basically buckwheat groats that are toasted until golden brown in a skillet. Toasting the groats gives them a nuttier flavor. I usually do the same with steel-cut oats when making oatmeal. Raw cashews are toasted at the same time. They add more texture to this dish, and seriously, who doesn’t like a bit of crunch in curries?

Cashew Buckwheat Curry with Garlic Kale

Once your buckwheat groats and cashews are golden brown, you add spices for flavor, coconut sugar for a hint of sweetness and pour in the coconut milk and water. Coconut milk brings the creaminess needed to take this curry to the next level.

Curried Buckwheat with Kale

I decided to add the kale at the same time as the buckwheat groats. This makes it a lot softer and not hard to chew at all. If you don’t have kale on hand, feel free to use spinach.

Curried Buckwheat with Kale

I included the recipe for the sautéed garlic kale to serve on the side, but if you think there is already enough kale in this recipe, feel free to serve this curry as is or with roasted veggies, arugula, or your favorite greens.

Curried Buckwheat with Kale

This curry makes a delicious weeknight dinner. It’s not only nutritious and healthy, but it is also super creamy and flavorful!

Like curries? Check out this Easy Thai Green Curry or this Tempeh Kha Soi!

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

Cashew Buckwheat Curry with Garlic Kale
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Cashew Buckwheat Curry with Garlic Kale

4.91 from 44 votes
Author: Thomas Pagot
Insanely creamy buckwheat groats curry with cashews and kale. Just one skillet is required for this flavorful and comforting meal!
Servings 3 Servings
Calories 474 kcal

Ingredients
 

Curry

  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1/4 cup cashews or peanuts
  • 3/4 cup buckwheat groats
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp sriracha optional
  • 1 and 1/2 cup water add 1/2 additional cup for a more soupy curry
  • 1 and 1/2 cup kale stems removed and finely cut
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Garlic Kale

  • 3 cups kale stems removed and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • salt pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Curry

  • Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic and grated ginger. Cook until the onions become soft and just start to caramelize, about 7-8 minutes. Add the buckwheat groats and cashews to the skillet and toast them for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden brown. Be careful not to burn them.
  • Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika and coconut sugar and stir until well combined.
  • Pour in the coconut milk, soy sauce, sriracha if using and stir in the chopped kale. Cover with the water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the buckwheat groats are soft. You may need to add a little bit more water if too much water has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
  • Serve as is, or with the sautéed kale (or your favorite greens) on the side.
  • This curry is best served the same day but will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Garlic Kale

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the kale and maple syrup and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 g | Calories: 474 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.5 g | Protein: 10.8 g | Fat: 31.4 g | Fiber: 7.9 g | Sugar: 9.7 g
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : American
Did you make this recipe? Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants
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About the Author

Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.

Learn more ➜

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5 stars
This was excellent! I added some chickpeas for extra protein and some curry powder. Will for sure make this again.

Awasome! I ve tried with parboiled buckwheat

5 stars
Made this as written. Fantastic! Would not change a thing. Will definitely make again Thank you

5 stars
WOW !!! One of the best dishes I’ve prepared recently!
The way the garlic kale taste blends with the curry! Divine!
And it’s healthy as well!
Thank you!!!

This recipe did not work for us. There was little flavour despite adding more spices after tasting towards the end of cooking. I did use spinach instead of kale.

5 stars
Just made this for the wife and I. Still have a spicy mouth. Delicious. Will make again.

Welcome back

5 stars
Hi Thomas, I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing. We didn’t have kale or spinach because it’s winter in Ontario and we eat what’s in season or storage. So we had roasted cabbage, carrots, and beets with it, which worked really well. I didn’t add soy sauce or any syrup or sugar, but did add the dry seasonings in your recipe plus a quarter cup nutritional yeast and replaced paprika with chili powder. It was excellent!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It was quick, easy, and delicious. I’ll definitely make it again.

5 stars
Delicious recipe, thanks for sharing

Great recipe! I recommend a squeeze of lemon at then to add a little brightness.

5 stars
This was very good thank you!

5 stars
I am just beginning to learn about whole grains and how to cook with them, after avoiding bread and pasta for the past decade. I really enjoyed this recipe thank you, it was so easy to make and tastes delicious, even my kids like it! And that’s saying something! It’s the middle of the winter here and I was able to use kale I dug out from my snow covered garden. Bonus! Love from Canada XOXO

5 stars
This is delicious! I have made this recipe and forwarded this page on to friends and every now and then, someone will talk about how much they love this recipe. Thank you!

Delicious and easy to prepare

What is the measurement for the curry powder? I don’t see it listed in the ingredient list.

5 stars
Really good recipe! I love it!!
My curry was a little spicey and the kale a little sweet, perfect combo!!
Thank you so so much.

5 stars
I had a packet of buckwheat hanging around in the cupboard and was not inspired – however I will cook this recipe again and buy more buckwheat now!

5 stars
Delicious! Will be making it again 🙂

5 stars
Thanks, this was perfect! I was trying to figure out what to do with my random buckwheat groats in the back of the cupboard and your recipe popped up in a google search! It was great because I also had kale from the garden to use up. I added both cashews and peanuts, as well as red pepper flakes for heat, and salt. I topped with cilantro at the end. Yum! So tasty and healthy for the body.

5 stars
This recipe is excellent, even my picky son liked it! I subbed maple syrup for coconut sugar and added some broccoli and red peppers. I found it a bit sweet but it was delicious!

5 stars
It is delicious and easy to prepare, a great way to cook buckwheat and kale, the flavours blend so well with the spices and the coconut milk.

Hi is this recipe any good to freeze?

5 stars
This is an amazing, delicious, easy recipe. I have substituted buckwheat cereal instead of the groats and created a creamy version of this dish. (I used 1 cup buckwheat cereal and 3 cups water, kept all other ingredients the same.). Yummy! Thank you Thomas ❣️

any options if you don’t have buckwheat groats please?

Hi, I wanted to try this recipe but can something be substituted for cashews. I like them but my girlfriend is allergic. Would peanuts be ok to use?

Hi,
I can’t work out how many portions is the recipe for.
Iveta

What is this in grams? 1 14-ounce can coconut milk

5 stars
OMG! Never in my life, I had such a delicious buckwheat dish!

So yummy and easy to make. Not to mention the nutrition values.
This Recipe is a breakthrough in my buckwheat cooking.

Thank you so much, Thomas, for this super original and creative recipe.

5 stars
Absolutely delicious! I was looking for a recipe with buckwheat and glad I found this one – the flavours are amazing! Used coriander powder instead of fresh coriander, chilli paste instead of sriracha and one more spoon of soy sauce, but otherwise all as per the recipe. Will definitely be making again.

What do I use instead of Coriander