Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Grain of the Week - 3 - Barley

Happy Pongal!

I have heard a lot about Barley but have not cooked with it often. It is one of those grains that we know is an ingredient in a lot of cereals, fermenting agent in beer and malts but in its grain form not that popular. It is one of those grains with a very low glycemic index and a high fiber content.

I have cooked with Barley just once in a soup. My friend Linda over at OutofthGarden has been recommending I give Barley a try.

Pearled Barley is the most common type of barley that is available in most stores. Hulled Barley is perhaps the least processed. Some benefits of Barley from Dr.Weil.


Pearled Barley

Have any recipes with Barley please give a shout.


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2 comments:

  1. Barley can be cooked similar to risotto and is nice, warm, and filling -- good for a cold day. Here's one recipe, I like, and it has the advantage of not requiring as much stirring as some barley risotto recipes: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/baked-barley-risotto-00100000070986/

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  2. Hi ISG, so glad to see this grain here :) From Maangchi the Korean blogger, I started making half barley-half rice for most all my rice now. Just use the same proportion of rice&barley mixed to water as you usually do, then add maybe half-cup more water. It takes some trial and error because it depends on how dry/old the barley is.

    For plain barley sans rice, I add it to soups and stews. If you like mutton (and I know you do :) ) you can make Scotch Broth. You take a good shank of mutton (or any other stew cut) covered with plenty of water. Bring it to a boil, skim, then cook until almost tender. Remove the meat, and take it from the bone. While you do that, add cut onions, carrots, celery, potato, and washed barley to the broth. Salt to taste, and when veggies are about cooked, add the meat back. That's an old recipe from my Scottish roots, perfect for cold winter days :)

    Happy Pongal!

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