The Model Cook Malaysia, purveyor of all natural healthy fine foods today rolls out a new super grain – Greenwheat Freekeh into retail stores in Kuala Lumpur.
Lauded as superfoods in many television shows in the US such as Dr. Oz show, Greenwheat freekeh is wheat, but it is wheat that has been harvested when it is still young and green, and then it gets roasted up to a level where the enzymes in the green grain are immobilized without cooking it.
Freekeh is more nutritious than rice, and because it is not ripe, the starchy layers have not yet filled in the wheat berries. It is high in protein — up to 12.6 grams per 100 grams cooked, or about a half cup — and fiber —up to 16.5 grams per half cup — and naturally has wheat’s bounty of other nutrients. It also ranks low on the glycemic index (GI). Comparing the fiber content of freekeh to other grains, it has three times as much fiber as brown rice and twice as much fiber as quinoa. Freekeh also contains resistant starch, which is a type of carbohydrate that acts like a fiber and also helps to keep one feeling pleasantly satisfied longer. Australian researchers with CSIRO (the national government body for scientific research in Australia) have found that because Greenwheat Freekeh is harvested when it is young, the green grain retains more protein, fiber and minerals than in mature wheat.
“Freekeh has it all: it is easy to cook, extremely versatile, safe, healthy and tasty,” says Tony Lufti, founder of Greenwheat Freekeh Pty Ltd, Australia, the only company in the world which developed an automated technology to harvest and produce Freekeh.
“I believe we are developing an industry, not just a company. What we have is potentially a Microsoft here,” Lutfi said. “It offers a way to change the way wheat and other grains such as rice is processed.” Preparing freekeh is very much like cooking rice: The ratio is 1 to 2.5 of freekeh to boiling water, cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. A cup of raw freekeh will yield a little over 2 cups when cooked.
Freekeh is very versatile and can be eaten either hot or cold. It has a chewy texture and a smokey, nutty flavour which is pleasantly delicious either eaten on its own or in combination with a wide range of foods or as a baseingredient in food such as bread, pasta, noodles and cakes. Its unique taste and nutritional properties makes it suitable for enhancing the taste and health profileof other foods. Greenwheat Freekeh is 100% natural – no preservatives, additives or pesticides anit is grown and processed in Australia. It comes inboth whole and cracked forms. Greenwheat Freekeh is retailed at RM 23.90 for a 400gm pack.