How to Cook Barley? In Barley Recipes What is Pearled Barley?

When you’re working out how to use grains in your kitchen, learning how to cook barley will add a whole new depth to your recipes. Barley is a grain grown around the world, and incredibly versatile. You can find it in anything from animal fodder and beer to soups and breads. While you can make barley flour to use instead of wheat, it isn’t a gluten free substitute. You may wonder what is pearled barley used for and how it’s different to other forms of barley. It’s simply barley without its bran layer, meaning that it cooks quicker and less chewy.

The History Of Barley

Barley has been part of the human diet for over 10,000 years in various forms, and has been touted as the reason behind the European conquest of much of the globe due to the fact it can be grown anywhere and is highly nutritious. It is claimed that barley beer was the first alcoholic drink, and that it formed the basis for bread in early civilizations like the Egyptians. In medieval times in Europe, barley was used as a social divider due to its cheapness. Wealthier people would show off their riches by eating wheat products, while the peasants developed a whole series of recipes using barley. In modern times, it’s used all over the world and is widely recognized for its energy levels and high fiber content.

Common Uses Of Barley

Learning how to cook barley is very simple, as there are plenty of different uses for it. You could try these barley recipes:

• Adding it whole to soups or stews. Barley is naturally high in bran, so will make you feel full more quickly. This makes it an excellent addition to broths and stews as it will bulk out the rest of the ingredients as well as adding its own taste to the mix.


• Making porridge with flaked barley. Use the barley as you would do with traditional porridge oats, and the hot water helps to break down the complex carbohydrates in the barley to make a comforting thick porridge.


• Using pearl barley as part of a healthy salad. You will need to cook the barley for around 45 minutes beforehand and give it time to cool down. It will have a soft and smooth texture, and will readily absorb the flavors of whatever you cook it with. For a simple salad, cook it with whatever leftover vegetables you have and water to make a simple stock.

You don’t need to know how to how to cook barley to be able to use it, as you can get it pre-cooked in cans in your supermarket. However, dried barley is cheaper and more versatile, giving you more cooking options.

A Simple Risotto With Barley Recipe

One of the most answers to the question “What is barley used for?” is in a risotto. Risottos will give you a great idea of how to cook barley properly.

• 1 ½ cups pearl barley


• 1 onion, chopped


• 3 cups of stock


• ½ cup white wine


• Vegetables such as celery, mushrooms or zucchini


• ½ cup of garden peas

1. Fry the onions over a medium heat until they’re soft

2. Add the pearl barley and cook until the leftover oil has been soaked up

3. Add the white wine and cook it off. The alcohol will burn off leaving the flavor of the white wine.

4. Ladle in the stock little by little, allowing each ladleful to be fully absorbed by the barley before adding the next. This technique of how to cook barley can be used as a soup base.

5. Keep going until you’ve got the barley in a creamy sauce, and then add the rest of the vegetables in. Cook until the vegetables have softened.

6. Serve with parmesan cheese and a simple side salad.

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