Healthy Barley Recipes
By Jyoti Pachisia
Who doesn’t love a steamy bowl of veggie barley soup? Besides the yum factor, you will slurp it more because of its plenty health benefits. Barley is one of the ancient grains that provides numerous health benefits.
Barley is popularly known as “Jau” in India. The high fiber content in Barley makes it great for digestion and aids in intestinal protection. Barley is rich in copper, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium. Barley, in general is low on glycemic index, which makes it an excellent dietary option for diabetics. It is known to keep a check on cholesterol levels and contribute to a healthy heart.
Barley is available in various forms like barley flour, barley flakes, barley grits, pearled barley, hulled barley, and many more.
With barley, a plethora of dishes can be made that are healthy yet delicious. You can enjoy a variety of barley dishes wither in your breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
What Are Some Recipes Made With Barley?
Check these few easy and simple recipes made with barley. Try these out and you will surely live these dishes.
1. Barley salsa
Ingredients
Red capsicum- 20gms
Yellow capsicum-20gms
Green capsicum- 20gms
Green Chilies
Boiled Barley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper – as per taste
Method
1. Heat olive in a pan. Saute all the veggies.
2. Add boiled barley, salt, and pepper. Stir it well.
3. Serve as a dip.
2. Barley Soup
Ingredients
Pearl Barley -2 tbsp
Red Lentils/Masoor dal- 2 tbsp
Oil -2 tsp
Garlic -2 tbsp minced
Onion -1 medium size
Carrot – 1/4 cup
Tomato -1/2 a small tomato
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Pepper powder to taste
Method
1. Wash and soak barley overnight.
2. Chop all the vegetables finely.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add onions, garlic, and saute until onions turn transparent.
4. Add washed dal, barley, chopped carrots, salt, water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
5. Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker, mash the contents slightly, add finely chopped tomatoes, coriander leaves, and black pepper powder to taste.
6. Serve hot
3.Barley Moongdal Dosa
Ingredients:
Barley- ½ Cup
Moongdal-½ Cup
Green chilies-3
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Oil/Ghee
Method
1. Wash and soak barley and moong dal for at least 2-3 hours.
2. After 2-3 hours, discard the water and add the soaked barley and moong dal in a blender jar with green chilies, cumin seeds, salt, and water.
3. Blend until the batter turns smooth creamy.
4. Transfer the batter to a large bowl.
5. Heat pan and using a ladle pour batter and spread evenly by moving the ladle in a circular motion. Drizzle some oil/ghee on the dosa.
6. Cook the dosa until it turns brown.
7. Serve dosa with coconut chutney or mint chutney.
4.Barley crepe
Ingredients
Barley- 1cup
Urad dal (split black lentil)-1/2cup
Fenugreek seeds- 1tsp
Ghee/oil -For greasing
Salt -as per taste
Water- as needed
Method
1. Wash barley, urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Soak them in water for at least 6 hours.
2. Once it is well soaked, grind the ingredients into a smooth paste. Add water to make a fluffy batter. The batter should not be watery.
3. Transfer the batter to a bigger bowl as batter will rise due to fermentation.
4. Keep the batter in a warm spot to ferment.
5. Heat a pan/griddle on a medium-high. Cast iron griddle is always ideal to make crepes.
6. When griddle heats up, pour a ladleful of batter right in the middle and spread it by moving your ladle in circular motion. Make a thin crepe. Spread evenly.
7. Spread oil or ghee on the crepe and continue cooking until it’s crispy.
8. Using a thin spatula, gently fold the crepe and serve hot!
5.Barley Upma Recipe
Ingredients
Barley-1/2 cup
Water-1-1/2cups
Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Grated Ginger- 1tsp
Green Chillies – 2 (finely chopped)
Carrot – 1/2cup (finely diced)
French beans - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Green peas steamed- 1/4 cup
Tomato – 1 (chopped)
Raw Peanuts - 2 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
White Urad Dal (Split)- 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig (roughly chopped)
Salt – as per taste
Lemon juice - 2 tsp.
Coriander leaves- for garnishing
Oil – 1tbsp.
Method
1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a pan on medium heat, add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Once it crackles add in the split urad dal and peanuts. Saute for a few minutes until the dal gets roasted.
2. Once roasted add chopped onions, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves and saute till onion turns translucent.
3. Add carrots, beans, peas and let it cook for a minute or two stirring in between.
4. Now add barley, mix well and saute for few minutes. Keep stirring else barley may stick to the cookers /pan's bottom.
5. Pour in the 1 cup of water. Stir in the salt and tomatoes and give the mixture a good stir.
6. Cover the pressure cook for 2 whistles. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release naturally.
7. Once the pressure has released, open the lid, add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot.
This fiber-rich grain has a nutty and toasty flavor with chewy bite. You can use barley in salads, soups, stews, whole-grain bowls. So, include barley in your everyday diet routine and turn towards a healthier lifestyle!
