Buckwheat Salad | Whole-Grain Salad with Pomegranate Molasses

Place the buckwheat in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water for 1 minute, stirring it with your hand. The water will run cloudy at first, then clear; unrinsed buckwheat foams as it cooks and the grains stick together. Shake the strainer to remove excess water.

Bring water equal to twice the buckwheat’s volume to a boil, add the salt and buckwheat, and cook over low heat with the lid slightly ajar. After 10 to 12 minutes, take out a grain and bite it: remove the buckwheat when no floury white center remains but the grain still holds its shape. Boiling it for 2 minutes longer makes the grains break apart on the outside and turns the salad mushy.

Drain the buckwheat and briefly rinse it under cold water to remove the surface starch. Spread it in a single layer on a wide tray, fluff it with a fork, and leave it on the counter to cool. If you use a bowl instead of a tray, the grains in the center will keep cooking in the steam.

Halve the tomatoes, remove the seedy centers, and cut them into 1 cm cubes. Scoop out the cucumber’s seedy center and cut it into similarly sized cubes; the seeds will make the salad watery within 2 hours. Thinly slice the scallions, finely chop the parsley and mint, and remove the pomegranate seeds; set them aside.

Whisk the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil, and remaining salt together with a fork until combined. Put the cooled buckwheat in a wide bowl, add the vegetables and herbs, drizzle with the dressing, and toss with a spoon. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top; if mixed in too early, they will be crushed and turn the salad pink.