How to cook barley correctly

Pearl barley is an extremely underrated cereal that rarely appears on our tables. But it contains fiber, useful amino acids, vitamins of groups B, A, D, E, H and PP, potassium, calcium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, iron, iodine, chromium … Maybe that fact is to blame that pearl barley is often served in hospitals, educational institutions, army menus? Or does it seem too complicated to make? Let’s figure it out.

How to cook barley in a saucepan

Step 1. Preparing the cereal

Sort out the cereal. Rinse the grains until the water runs clear – this will make the porridge crumbly.

Step 2: Soaking

This is not a necessary step, but it will reduce the cooking time. And some cooks are convinced that this makes porridge tastier. Pour the barley with water a couple of centimeters above the cereal and leave for several hours, and preferably overnight. Do not forget to rinse the cereal again after soaking.

Step 3. Pour water

Barley, like buckwheat, swells during cooking, keep this in mind when choosing a pan. Pour water at the rate of three cups of water per cup of cereal.

Step 4. Cooking

Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 40-50 minutes. If you have not soaked the grits, increase the time to an hour. Don’t forget to check the water in the pot. If it boils quickly, lower the heat and add more boiling water.

Salting the dish is at the beginning or middle of the process.

How to cook barley in the microwave

Step 1. Preparation

Do not forget to sort and rinse the cereal thoroughly. If possible, soak it first.

Step 2. Pour water

Transfer the cereal to a container of suitable size, fill it with hot water: 1,5-2 cups of water per cup of grain.

Step 3. Cooking

The cooking time depends on whether you soaked the cereal or not: 20-30 minutes in the first case and 40-50 in the second. Cook at full power. Do not forget to stir the porridge, if necessary, add hot water.

How to cook barley in a slow cooker

Step 1. Preparation

On the eve of cooking, sort, rinse and soak the cereal.

Step 2. Pour water

Transfer the barley to the multicooker bowl and fill it with cold water: take three glasses of water for one glass of cereal.

Step 3. Selecting a mode and cooking

For cooking, the “Porridge”, “Buckwheat” or “Rice” modes are suitable. Soaked cereals are cooked for about an hour, unsoaked – about one and a half.

Delicious and easy barley recipes

Pickle

Wash the meat, fill it with water, do not forget to remove the foam when the water boils. Boil it for about an hour and a half. You can add spices, for example, a couple of bay leaves and a few black peppercorns.

While the meat is cooking, boil the barley.

Prepare the soup bowl. Cut and fry vegetables: onions, carrots, add cucumbers last.

When the meat broth is ready, add the diced potatoes to it. After ten minutes, add the finished cereal and after another five minutes – fry. After a minute, turn off the heat and let the soup brew.

Orzotto with mushrooms

Orzotto is an Italian dish based on barley. Sometimes it is translated into as perlotto.

Peel and dice the onion, fry until golden brown. Add mushrooms – boiled, if you take forest mushrooms. You can replace them with champignons, then you do not need to boil them additionally. Saute until excess liquid has evaporated.

Rinse the barley well (it is better to soak it overnight), add to the mushrooms and lightly fry. Add wine and let it evaporate completely. Don’t forget to stir.

When the wine has evaporated, pour in the vegetable or mushroom broth. It should lightly cover the grain. Stirring constantly, simmer until the cereal is cooked. Salt to taste at the end.

Barley cutlets

Barley porridge can also be used to cook lean meatballs.

Boil the cereal, cool.

In a blender, chop the onion, porridge, salt and pepper.

Form balls from minced meat, roll in flour and give them the shape of cutlets.

Fry over high heat until golden brown on both sides.

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