Soak the pearl barley for 4-12 hours, cook in a double boiler for 1 hour. Cook for 1 hour without soaking.
How to cook barley in a double boiler
Products
Pearl barley – half a glass
Water – 3 glasses
Salt – 1 teaspoon
How to cook barley in a double boiler
1. Rinse the pearl barley under running water, add water in a 1: 2 ratio and soak for 6-12 hours until it swells.
2. After the time has elapsed, transfer the pearl barley to a colander and rinse under running cold water.
3. Put the pearl barley in a container of a double boiler for cooking cereals, pour boiling water (for 1 glass of pearl barley – 2,5 cups of water) and cook for half an hour.
4. Gently mix the groats and cook for another 30 minutes. The readiness of the barley is determined by the degree of softness of the grains at the bottom of the container. With insufficient softness, the barley is steamed for another 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the cereal and the variety. To do this, drain the water that has formed in the pan of the steamer and refill the water tank with a new one up to the maximum value.
Delicious facts
Cooking pearl barley in a double boiler is the slowest possible method. However, it is steamed barley that is the most delicate, silky and at the same time the least grainy. If you are in a hurry, use the classic soaking + cooking method in a saucepan or pressure cooker.
Steamed barley can be cooked without soaking at all – due to the gentle heat treatment, the barley will cook evenly and will be soft, just increase the cooking time by 1 hour.
It is even tastier to cook barley by adding milk to the steamer bowl and water to the water section. Then the pearl barley will turn out to be even more tender and creamy. Moreover, such barley is good both for a side dish and for breakfast, if you add sugar or honey. With dietary meals, you can cook barley on kefir.