— Melissa Bryant

Let's see, other grains that we might have around here. Oh, over time, let's see, we've had whole oats, you know, oat groats. Uh, we've had spelt. Um, and, uh, let's see. We've had farrow, we've had trica. Um, let's see. Um, oh, uh, kamo, I think is, is one that we've had. We've had other colors of rice, you know, red rices and, and, uh, black rices, purple rices from, uh, you know, different parts of the world. And, you know, I will, uh, eat these sometimes just on their own, like as a, as a bowl of rice, if they're ha if they're kind of sticky. Uh, that's the way I like my rice. Uh, usually in a, in a Japanese or, you know, an East Asian sort of a context of dining. Um, otherwise a pilaf, uh, is a very common, uh, sort of outlet for grains and piaf or a, a pula, it's another name for the same sort of an, uh, a approach to cooking grains, uh, is popular across much of the world. And, uh, if you look at, you know, you know, north American, also European cookery, and we get into Central Asia, into South Asia as well, you know, you find this type of a preparation that focuses on the local grain. Now, commonly it's rice, but there's no reason why you can't use one of these other grains that are available to you. Okay? And, uh, at that point, the pilaf, uh, cooking method, which is, you know, basically to measure out your, your grains to, um, to, uh, lightly saute those in some, uh, some fat. Uh, and then you can add some aromatics. And if you want other more substantial vegetables or other ingredients, uh, in that dish, you would add them. Uh, give them some, uh, a little bit of, uh, browning if you want, or you can immediately add some water, uh, in, you know, the ratio that's called for, for that, uh, particular grain. Put a lid on it, and then just gently simmer it until it's done. And, uh, you can make some adjustments at the end as needed. You know, whether it's in seasoning or the addition of some fresh herbs, maybe finishing it with spices in some way, you know, to, to create, uh, a pilaf or a pulau. And, um, the, the end results are almost infinite, perhaps infinite. And I think if you explore that, that area of, of cooking, uh, as it spans, uh, a, a, a wide, you know, uh, uh, region of the world, you're gonna find, I think, a lot of inspiration for using grains.