A friend bought this grain for me months ago from a local Oriental market, and I’ve finally gotten around to cooking it. An important grain for human consumption in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, Sorghum here in the states is mostly used for livestock feed (watch out corn!) and ethanol production. Apparently, Sorghum is considered the 5th most important cereal grain in the world (Whole Grain Council) because of it’s natural drought tolerance and its versatility as food, feed and fuel.

It is said that Sorghum grows from traditional hybrid seeds, deeming it Non-GMO…but who really knows. It is, however, gluten-free, making it friendly for those with Celiac’s or gluten intolerance. One 1/2 cup serving gives you about 11g protein, and although it is not a complete source of protein (like quinoa), pairing Sorghum with corn, mushrooms and/or oranges (!!!) will make it complete. Sorghum contains all but one essential amino acid to make a complete protein: Lysine. Mushrooms, oranges and corn have this Lysine.

For a quick and easy meal, I often cook up some sauteed veggies and throw it over quinoa. This time, I just replaced the quinoa with this Sorghum. Mastering the art of cooking a quick go-to meal like this gives you the freedom to switch out components of the meal as a means of trying something new. Like the Sorghum. Or you could switch out a vegetable to try one you’ve never had before. Give it a whirl.

Sorghum

4 cups dry Sorghum

6-8 cups salted water

4 cups shelled edamame, cooked

4 stalks of scallion, chopped

Basically, you can boil this grain like you would pasta; cook until al dente (with bite) and discard the water.
Add in the edamame and scallion.
Also, flavor your grain with some olive oil and vinegar. I chose a blood orange olive oil with a lemon vinegar. A little salt and pepper if you wish, too.

Veggies

1 head broccoli, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cups of both collard and mustard greens

1/2 large red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 TBS sesame oil

A few hearty dashes of low sodium soy sauce

Heat your oil in a pan and saute up some veggies! Start with the onion to soften it up a bit before adding the others. And add the garlic and greens last, as the greens cook up pretty quickly and will begin to wilt.
Pile some Sorghum on a plate and top with veggies.

This grain is pretty starchy, you’ll be able to taste that. It is quite high in carbohydrates (~70g carbohydrates per 1/2 cup), so if you’re (pre) diabetic and/or need to watch your blood sugar, take it easy on the amount of this grain you eat.

It kind of reminded me of a legume. The citrus oil and vinegar combination tasted great! Enjoy.

Source: Sorghum: Experiment With A New Grain | The Fresh Beet.