Step 1

Place a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to temperature. Add the buckwheat dry (no water) to the pan. Toast the buckwheat gently for a minute, swirling the pan often to make sure it doesn’t burn. Add the water and bouillon and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Step 2

Place a lid on the pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until the buckwheat is al dente.

Step 3

Drain the buckwheat in a sieve of any remaining water (there shouldn’t be much) then return it to the saucepan (off the heat) and cover with a lid. Leave to steam for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Transfer the buckwheat to a medium bowl and allow to cool fully. Once cooled, stir in the chopped herbs and lemon juice. Set aside.

Step 5

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and bring to temperature. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes until the onions are starting to turn translucent. Don’t let the garlic burn.

Step 6

Add the spices and stir to combine. Leave to cook for a minute before adding the red/green pepper. Cook the pepper for a further few minutes before adding the tomatoes. Use your spatula to break up the tomatoes roughly.

Step 7

Season the sauce with salt and pepper then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow the sauce to simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the tomatoes look mostly broken down.

Step 8

Remove the lid and add the meatballs to the top of the sauce. Cover again and cook for a further 20 minutes with the meatballs in the sauce.

Step 9

Check on the sauce. If it’s thick at this stage, it’s ready to serve. If it’s still rather thin, remove the lid and simmer for a further 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced.

Step 10

Serve the meatballs with a few spoonfuls of herby buckwheat. Top the pomegranate seeds, fresh parsley, sumac and chilli flakes.