An overview of a useful plant of cereals used in cooking: where and how Busennik grows, useful properties, calorie content and chemical composition, methods of use, interesting facts. The content of the article:
- Chemical composition
- Benefit
- Method of use
- Interesting Facts
Job's tears is a grass of the Coix family. Wild growing - it does not die annually, but grows for several years, cultural - annual. It can be found in tropical countries: Southeast Asia (everyone who travels to Thailand has the opportunity to buy cereals in any store), America. The average length of this cereal is about half a meter, but there are very tall "specimens" growing up to 2 meters (see the photo below).
It blooms with spike-shaped flowers in summer - early autumn. Then it bears fruit in small, very hard "beads". Iovlev's tears have long been known for their beneficial properties in traditional Chinese medicine. Used as an ingredient in herbal infusions and in cooking: for baking bread, making cereals and drinks. The herb has several more names - Coix Job's tears, Common Busennik, Hato Mugi.
Busennik's chemical composition and calorie content
Groats for preparing dishes from Iovlev's tears are nutritious and healthy, they contain minerals, vitamins, proteins and fiber. The calorie content per 100 g of Busennik's groats is 352 kcal.
- Fat - 2, 7 g
- Proteins - 14, 8 g
- Carbohydrates - 67, 0 g
- Water - 10, 8 g
- Vegetable fiber - about 4.0 g
- Ash - 1 g
Vitamins:
- A - 413.5 mcg
- Thiamin or B1 - 0.34 mg
- Riboflavin or B2 - 0.1 mg
- Niacin or B3, PP, nicotinic acid - 2.1 mg
- C - 17, 0 mg
Minerals:
- Calcium - 19 mg
- Phosphorus - 148 mg
- Iron - 5 mg
Benefits of Coix Job's Tears
Busennik is little known in Russia. If it is found, it is only as a decorative ornament in bouquets or beads. But Chinese healers have long been using its beneficial properties for medicinal purposes. In the treatises "Herbalism of the Sacred Farmer" the following benefits of Koix of Joble's tears are described:
- decanting dampness;
- expulsion of water;
- strengthening the spleen;
- helps the discharge of pus;
- stops rheumatism;
- relieves heat.
If we translate this into "Russian", then it turns out that Busennik ordinary has a diuretic effect, is effective against edema and diseases that cause them: diseases of the bladder, prostatitis, dropsy, etc. Good for inflammation, because it relieves fever and stops inflammation (and rheumatism too), convulsions, pulmonary abscesses and intestinal. Protects the pancreas from harmful effects and supports its work. Stops diarrhea caused by insufficient digestive activity of the gland under the stomach.
These beneficial properties of Coix are not lost even during processing. Excellent cereals are prepared from its round hard fruits (as well as from any other cereals), soups are brewed, infused and excellent teas are obtained for colds and just to maintain health.
Externally, the hard Busennik cereal cooked into porridge is easily digested, very nutritious and suitable in the diet, it activates metabolism well. In case of disturbances in digestive processes, porridge is especially useful, and Iovlev's tears are no exception, for example, they are effective in chronic enteritis.
Boiled coix is added to soups. In this form, it especially helps the work of unhealthy kidneys. Hot broth is effective for colds. For example, in eastern countries they like to cook soups with the addition of zucchini and Coix. For those who decided to try the benefits of cereals from Iovlev's tears, experienced oriental cooks warn against digesting cereals: they do not need to be boiled. Nutritionists will say that such food will be useful for everyone - young and old. Doctors will agree that food with Busennik is no less useful than other cereals during the recovery period.
There are no contraindications for Koix Iovleva's tears. Restrictions on use are as follows: profuse urination, pregnancy, constipation.
Ways to use Iovlev's tears
As already mentioned, herbal infusions, decoctions, teas, soups and cereals are prepared from the fruits of Coix. It is somewhat similar to barley or rye. This cereal plant tastes slightly bitter, so in Asia it is prepared with sweet vegetables (stew), for example, with corn, zucchini, etc.
For medicinal purposes, it is enough from 10 to 30 grams of Job's tears per day. It is better to fry or dry the cereals before cooking. The easiest way is to prepare a healing drink for fatigue: the dried fruits of Iovlev's tears are ground into powder and then added to hot water.
Soup is also easy to prepare: the cereal is added to the broth in which the meat is cooked and cooked in it for a few minutes, then the other ingredients are added to the soup. An example can be taken from the pickle, in which, instead of pearl barley, you add Busennik.
Recipe: Stewed Vegetables with Busennik
In the photo on the left are kombu seaweed and on the right are shiitake mushrooms. There is an interesting exotic recipe for preparing the second course.
Ingredients
For cooking, you need kombu seaweed (2 pieces), shiitake mushrooms (2-4 pieces), 1 liter of pure water, 1/2 cup corn (80 g), 1/4 cup chopped daikon radish (45 g), chopped carrots (2 tablespoons), 200 g of Busennik. For seasoning, take 2 tsp. soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of grated ginger. The prepared dish is decorated with sliced green onions.
Preparation
Shiitake mushrooms and kombu are pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes. Then all vegetables are laid out in a saucepan and filled with water in which algae and mushrooms were soaked, and up to a liter (so that the grains are covered, you put them on top, last).
All this is stewed over medium heat until boiling, then the heat is reduced and stewed for another 30 minutes, until the ingredients are softened. Make up for the lack of water. Finally, add the soy sauce, arrange in bowls and garnish with onions and ginger.
Interesting facts about Busennik
- The name of the plant "Iovlev's tears" is associated with the similarity of the fruit in shape and color to tears. Among the people there is one more name "Mother of God tears".
- There are two subspecies of Busennik grass: wild and cultivated. Wild is also good for humans … just not used for cooking. The fruits of the wild herb are harvested and, thanks to their tough shell, are used in necklaces.
- The popular drink in Korea is “Tea from Iovlev's Tears”.