How delicious to cook barley porridge?
Barley porridge is a wonderful, but undeservedly forgotten dish. Although the preparation of this cereal may seem a bit complicated to some, the result is a very satisfying and healthy side dish, which certainly justifies the effort.
General cooking advice
By itself, barley porridge is not particularly popular, and in vain, because this product is rich in useful vitamins and minerals. Barley contains B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin L, as well as potassium, calcium, copper, selenium and others. In addition, there are as many as twenty essential acids. Therefore, cooking barley porridge is definitely worth it for those who monitor their health by combining healthy cereals with various ingredients.
If we consider the pros and cons of this dish, then, of course, there are more pluses. For example, barley energizes, strengthens the immune system and has a beneficial effect on the digestive system.
However, the presence of gluten in the composition makes it impossible to use the product for people suffering from its individual intolerance. In addition, young children should not be given this dish, as it is difficult to digest by the child's body and can provoke bloating, flatulence and diarrhea.
Starting to cook pearl barley, in no case should you ignore the preparation process - soaking and washing.Everything should be completed by giving barley the opportunity to brew wrapped in a warm cloth somewhere in a heated place. It is important to remember that during cooking, the cereal swells and becomes almost five times the original volume. Therefore, for cooking, you always have to choose a large pot. In addition, it is worth filling the dish with butter.
Proportions and cooking time
In terms of proportions, to achieve a crumbly, tender porridge, you need a glass of soaked cereal and two and a half glasses of water. If a liquid consistency is required, then it will be necessary to increase the amount of liquid to four glasses. It will take forty-five minutes to cook pre-treated grains. However, it is worth remembering that in the classic barley recipe, values such as six hours appear.
Selection and preparation of cereals
The selected cereal must be washed, and several times. It is best to pour the grains into a container, pour cold water over it and gently stir with your fingers. Usually a precipitate appears immediately, which indicates that the dirty fluid must be drained and replaced with a clean one.
The rinsing of the cereal continues until the water remains absolutely clean. Then the used liquid is drained again, and clean and cool is poured, but already in the amount of a liter per existing glass of barley. The pearl barley will swell before the expiration of four hours, although a time period of twelve hours is considered ideal.
Recipes
Barley porridge is usually cooked either in the oven or on the stove. In the second case, two possible methods are used: cooking on an open fire or in a water bath. Barley cannot be cooked in the microwave.
Quickly preparing barley porridge in water is not particularly difficult. The required ingredients include five glasses of drinking water, one glass of cereal, 30 grams of butter and, if necessary, salt. Liquid is poured into a saucepan with prepared cereals, and everything is immediately put on the stove. The food is to be brought to a boil, and then boiled for forty-five minutes, significantly reducing the heat. The rest of the water, if they are not absorbed, merges, and the porridge itself is flavored with oil and salted. It is also better to let her stand for about ten minutes under a closed lid.
Barley can be cooked according to another very simple recipe. First, a glass of cereal, water, a tablespoon of butter and salt are prepared. First, water is poured into a saucepan and brought to a boil. Groats are poured into the seething liquid and boiled for about five minutes. The next step will be to put it in a colander, and replace the water in the saucepan with three and a half glasses of cool.
The liquid is again brought to a boil, after which oil, salt and pearl barley are poured directly into it. Cooking such a dish should be a little more than half an hour. However, then the container will need to be covered and removed for sixty minutes in the oven, preheated to a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. Reviews say that such a porridge is the most delicious, including for children.
Having decided to make a pickle, you need to figure out in advance how to properly prepare barley, which is an important part of it. For cooking, you need a glass of cereal, three glasses of water and salt. The washed barley is poured into water brought to a boil with salt. It will take about an hour to process it, after which it will be more convenient to put it in a colander.This ingredient is sent to the soup somewhere five or six minutes before the end of cooking. .In a pressure cooker it will be very convenient to make barley porridge with dried mushrooms. For cooking, you will need the following products: a glass of barley, 100 grams of carrots and the same amount of onions, two and a half glasses of drinking water, 50 grams of mushrooms and spices.
Pre-mushrooms are poured with cold water for a couple of hours, the same can be done with cereals, but this is not necessary. The onion is finely chopped, and the carrot is rubbed on a grater. The softened champignons are finely chopped. The above ingredients are fried in the "Baking" program for about a third of an hour in sunflower oil. Next, the washed barley is poured into the bowl of the device and filled with heated water. Spices are immediately added, and the most suitable program is installed in the pressure cooker, for example, “Buckwheat”.
A very nutritious and appetizing porridge can be cooked with onions, vegetables and meat. By the way, it will also be possible to conserve it for the winter in banks. In addition to 240 grams of cereal itself, one onion, one carrot and two tomatoes, 400 grams of pork, two chili peppers and three cloves of garlic, three bay leaves, a teaspoon of suneli hops, the same amount of coriander and, finally, oil for frying ingredients will come in handy. Immediately it is worth clarifying that it is better to cook this dish in a container with thick walls and a bottom. The prepared barley is poured into a saucepan and poured with two glasses of water, after which everything is brought to a boil.
At the same time, the onion, carrot and pork, added one after the other, are slightly fried in a separate frying pan. Pieces can be formed quite large. At the next stage, these three ingredients are transferred to a saucepan, where barley porridge is already boiling.You can immediately lay all the spices and seasonings, garlic and tomatoes. The container is covered with a lid, the fire is reduced to a minimum, and the food is left on the stove for 60 minutes. The finished porridge will have to brew wrapped for about a quarter of an hour. This dish is combined with fresh vegetables and tomato paste.
If you want to keep the meat barley for a longer time, then the still hot mixture will need to be placed in glass jars, half a liter in volume and subjected to sterilization. Only having covered with lids, the containers are supposed to be installed in a large saucepan, the bottom of which is lined with a dense cloth. Hot water is poured inside, reaching the tapering parts of the jars, a small fire is turned on and sterilization is carried out for half an hour. Ready canned food is rolled up. It should immediately be said that you will need to eat them within one month.
Barley with bacon and onions is cooked in a pot and served in it. You will first have to purchase the following products: two glasses of cereals, one onion, 200 grams of bacon, a little salt and a total of three liters of water - two of them for soaking and one for direct cooking. First, peeled onions and lard are cut into cubes, after which they are placed in a pot. Already washed and soaked cereals are laid out on top, and everything is poured with salted water. The oven is heated to 180 degrees, and food is placed there for sixty minutes. After turning off the fire, the container must be left warm for another half hour, and then wrapped in a towel for the same period.
Sweet barley with pumpkin in milk is often prepared for breakfast. The list of required ingredients includes 200 grams of vegetables, 100 grams of cereals, 300 milliliters of milk, a teaspoon of cinnamon and one and a half tablespoons of granulated sugar.Groats are poured with clean water and put on fire. Bringing to a boil, you need to reduce the heat to a minimum, and then cook the food under the lid for about 50 minutes. At this time, the peeled pumpkin is cut into cubes and removed for a third of an hour in the oven, heated to 180 degrees.
After the pumpkin reaches readiness, you will need to put it on top of the porridge, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and, if desired, other spices. Everything is poured with milk, mixed and boiled over low heat for about half an hour. Alternatively, you can send the container to the oven for 30 minutes, and periodically add milk there. By the way, such porridge is often eaten with dried fruits.
An excellent solution would be to cook barley with minced meat for lunch. For cooking, you need 150 grams of cereal, one carrot, one tomato, one onion, 300 grams of minced meat, two teaspoons of tomato paste, garlic, herbs and spices, including half a teaspoon of sugar. The first step is preparing porridge in water with salt. By the way, you can do this in a double boiler. Onions and carrots are cut into small pieces and fried together over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Then meat is added to the same pan, and frying takes place for another 5 minutes. Spices and tomato paste, as well as cubes of tomatoes are added to the total mass. The stewing is carried out until the expiration of 10 minutes, and ends with the addition of finely chopped garlic. Barley is combined with the rest of the ingredients, mixed well and infused for about half an hour.
Before serving, it is recommended to sprinkle with fresh dill or parsley.
How to cook barley deliciously, see the following video.