Many people associate pearl barley with bait for fish. Although pearl barley porridge is very tasty and satisfying. And although the process of its preparation is rather long, the result is always excellent. And all kinds of gas stations will turn it into a real delicacy.
Recipe content:
- The benefits and harms of barley
- Barley in cooking
- Ingredients
- Step by step cooking
- Video recipe
The benefits and harms of barley
It is not without reason that pearl barley is considered the best cereal and is recommended for baby food. it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. And its benefits lie in a positive effect on the entire body as a whole. For example, barley porridge normalizes metabolic processes, bowel function and digestion, strengthens the heart and blood vessels, removes toxins and harmful substances from the body, improves the condition of the nail plates, the condition of the skin and hair, slows down the aging process, increases immunity, etc. The list is endless.
However, people with stomach ulcers and high acidity should refrain from using it. Even the use of it in large quantities can lead to fullness. For the rest, there are no special contraindications for barley. The main thing is to observe the measure.
Barley in cooking
To make pearl barley porridge tasty, you should know some rules. It's easy to cook and almost never sticks to the bottom of the pot. However, since it is prepared from whole grains, it will take a lot of time to cook.
Barley porridge is prepared not only in water, but also in milk or broth. The basic principles of its preparation are soaking and boiling. I will share this recipe with you. However, if you do not have time to pre-soak it, then pour boiling water over the cereal and let it stand for one hour, or just cook for 5-10 minutes. After that, change the water - pour the pearl barley with cold water (for 250 g of cereal, 3 glasses of water), boil and cook over low heat for about an hour. After that, wrap it up with a warm scarf and leave to rebuke for 30 minutes.
You can also cook porridge in the oven. To do this, you will also need to soak it, and then cook it for an hour in a brazier, then turn off the oven and leave it in it to reach 40. The next option for preparing pearl barley porridge is a water bath. First, the initial soaking step is done, which can be long (10 hours in cold water) or fast (1 hour in boiling water). Then the pan is placed in a water bath and the porridge is cooked for 3-4 hours.
Barley can also be cooked in a slow cooker. To do this, pre-soaked grains are placed in a multicooker, filled with liquid, a mode for cooking porridge or pilaf is set. After 1 hour, the barley will be ready. But the volume of liquid in the bowl should be monitored periodically. At the end, leave the porridge to rise for 20-30 minutes.
I draw your attention to the fact that porridge during cooking increases in volume by 5-6 times. Therefore, take this moment into account when choosing the volume of the pan.
- Calorie content per 100 g - 22, 2 kcal.
- Servings - 2
- Cooking time - 10 hours for soaking, 40 minutes for boiling, half an hour for evaporation
Ingredients:
- Pearl barley - 100 g
- Salt - 1/3 tsp
- Butter - 20 g
- Ground pepper - a pinch (optional)
Cooking pearl barley porridge on water
1. Wash the grains thoroughly, cover with cold water and leave for 10 hours. This will significantly reduce the cooking time of the porridge. It is most convenient to do this at night. The groats should be soaked at the rate of 250 g per 1 liter of water.
2. During this time, the grains will swell, absorb liquid and increase in volume by at least 2 times. Therefore, this factor must be taken into account when measuring containers for soaking.
3. After this time, drain the water, and wash the cereals again under running water.
4. Transfer the cereal to a heavy-bottomed cooking pot and season with a little salt. You can also pepper it a little if you serve it with a salty side dish: meat, cutlets, fish. If you plan to serve with fruits or berries, then do not add pepper.
5. Fill the cereal with drinking water and place on the stove. Cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer porridge for about 40 minutes.
6. When the pearl barley is ready, wrap it up with a warm blanket and leave it on for half an hour. Its readiness is determined by the degree of softening of the grains.
7. After this time, put butter in the porridge, stir and serve. Its consistency will be soft and swollen, and the appearance is not mushy, but crumbly and elastic. It is recommended to use it hot, because this is how it tastes best and is better absorbed.
See also a video recipe on how to cook barley porridge deliciously and simply.
