Amaranth has been a staple food since the times of the Incas, Mayas and Aztecs. The pseudocereal, which belongs to the foxtail family, consists of very fine-grained seeds. Natural amaranth must be washed before cooking so that the bitter substance phytin it contains is washed out. You can find out how to do this in the following article.
Amaranth should be washed before cooking to flush out bitter substances
What problems arise when washing amaranth?
The small amaranth grains are only about one millimeter in size. They fall through normal household sieves; even a tea strainer is still too coarse. Put a cheesecloth or tea towel in the strainer and the tiny grains will stick to it and be very difficult to scrape off.
What is the best way to wash amaranth?
With a special technique, amaranth can be washed very easily without the small grains becoming independent:
- Put the required amount of amaranth in a Tupperware.
- Mix with water so that the can is about three quarters full.
- Swirl the contents in a circle until all the grains are wetted.
- Place the lid so that it lies in the groove of the bowl but is not latched.
- Pour off the water carefully, gently pressing on the lid.
- Tap the can so that all the grains fall back.
- Repeat multiple times.
- Put the amaranth in the saucepan.
You can rinse the remaining grains out of the bowl with a little water. Use the measured cooking water directly for this purpose. For one part amaranth you need 2.5 parts water.
Extremely practical: a hair strainer
If you cook amaranth frequently, you can use a fine-mesh sieve to make washing easier. Hair sieves have a maximum mesh size of 0.5 millimeters and hold back fine-grained food such as amaranth or millet.
tips
Amaranth not only tastes great when cooked, but also when puffed. Heat a non-stick pan on the stove and add enough grains to cover the entire bottom. Put a glass lid on immediately. Switch off the plate, swirl around a few times and the crunchy, healthy ingredient for the muesli is ready.