How to Soak Grains: Easy, Quick, and Essential

I've been somewhat distressed recently to learn how important it is to soak grains. Evidently this is how our ancestors have been preparing grains for a long time, and for good reason. The phytic acid in grains interferes with absorption of zinc, calcium, and other minerals, the lack of which are behind such common American diseases as osteoporosis and depression, as well as PMS, fatigue, and memory loss. In fact, zinc deficiency is the fifth leading risk factor for disease in the developing world.

So. I have embarked upon a grain-soaking pilgrimage that started when Ken Immer Changed My Kitchen. He showed me how easy it was to soak quinoa, and I have been doing so ever since.

Recently a food therapy client communicated some apprehension about starting this practice, so I came up with a quick step-by-step process to show you just how easy soaking grains can be.

1. Measure out the amount of grain you want to soak: 1, 2, or 3 cups.
2. Put grain in a wide (rather than tall) container, preferably glass but plastic also works, so that grain is spread out as much as possible.
3. Cover with filtered water until the grain is covered by at least 1 inch. You may need to stir the grains around so that they sink.
4. Seal and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Cooking time reduces the longer you soak; after about a week, cooking time is reduced by about half.
5. Whenever you want to cook some grains, measure out the amount, rinse in strainer, and cook normally, with reduced cooking time.

I have also tested this with rye berries and amaranth to great success. (Rye takes 3 hours to cook when unsoaked; after soaking it took approximately 30 minutes!) I'm going to try it with brown rice next, which is especially high in phytic acid. Other grains to try are kamut, millet, barley, bulgur, spelt, and wheat berries.

The Nourished Kitchen also has a lot of information on soaking grains, including this wonderful Soaked Oatmeal recipe that I'm excited to try. Oatmeal always makes me feel yugh after I eat it, so I'll let you know if soaking it makes a difference. She even has information on soaking and sprouting flour, and maintains that fermentation of grains is even more effective at making the nutrients bioavailable. I'll do another post on sprouting and fermenting.

Ken Immer Changed My Kitchen

Recently Ken Immer of Om Cooking, vegan chef and creator of that awesome gRAWnola, came to my house—and more importantly into my kitchen.

The reason I'd called Ken was because of one sentence on his website:

How many times have you gone to the grocery store, only to come home with "nothing to cook!"

As much as I hate to admit it, that is exactly how I feel a lot of the time. Here I am, supposed to be this champion of home-cooked food, and my diet frequently consists of Annie Chun's noodle bowls, Amy's burritos, and happy hour specials at Pearlz.


(Go to minute 2:50.)

To be fair, these are all fairly healthy choices, and for breakfast I often saute up some greens and pair them with a piece of Ezekiel bread and poached eggs. But that takes a long time! I want a quick breakfast! I want inspiration! I want ease!

I communicated all this to Ken. And he didn't start pulling items out of my pantry. (I don't think he even looked at it, though he did view the fridge, at which point I realized how long it had been since I cleaned the condiment drawer.)

Instead, he listened.

He listened to what I wanted, what I was struggling with. And then he gave me some very awesome, very simple advice.

Ken gives everybody different advice. He told me that one of his clients simply needed to change his track lighting to make a huge difference in his willingness to cook. I was immediately excited to start sprouting (I did the next day), to go grocery shopping (I did that night), and to cook--I made red curry chicken with quinoa and frozen veggies the next night, using my new condiments, and it lasted me for three meals. And finally I made sprouted breakfast quinoa with coconut milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon. And it was quick! And delicious!

Charleston Magazine featured Ken in its April issue. I highly recommend you check out that article and read about the benefits of raw foods and how to make Thai Lemonade, Kale-Arame Slaw, and Sprouted Quinoa with Balsamic Grilled Veggies. YUM!

And then I highly recommend you contact Ken and get him to come over for some nutritional planning. For $65 he changed my cooking habits, my grocery shopping, and my life.