Kasha Pilaf with Dates, Pistachios and Baharat - Recipe

I originally made this pilaf to stuff in cabbage rolls, inspired by this lovely post from Give Recipe. My version of the stuffed cabbage was good, but the sauce I came up with didn’t knock it out of the park for me. The pilaf, on the other hand, I just loved. I made way too much of it and ended up eating it every day for three days and would have kept going if there was any left.

If you haven’t worked with kasha before, I think you will love it’s nutty, almost haunting flavor. It is simply whole grain buckwheat kernels, which are a staple food in Eastern Europe. It might seem a bit odd to use it in a pilaf with Middle Eastern or North African flavors, but there has certainly been a lot of historical migration between those areas so it isn’t such a stretch. Kasha can often be found in the Jewish foods section of a grocery store. Wolff’s is a common brand; choose medium or whole granulation if you have the option. Buckwheat kasha is gluten-free by the way. Although the name is confusing, it is unrelated to wheat.

If you want to go a different route, you could do this same recipe with couscous or freekeh instead. I haven’t tried, but I can’t see it failing to be delicious.

Baharat is one of those wonderful Middle Eastern spice blends with tremendous complexity. It is sweet, hot, floral and altogether moutwatering. I use one from World Spice Merchants. You could also make your own, or feel free to experiment with dukkah or ras el hanout as alternatives.