Cooked Barley

Barley

My mum always used barley in her veggie soup so it’s a huge comfort food for me. Unfortunately it’s part of the wheat family though so contains gluten. But if gluten is fine with you, barley is really inexpensive compared with more fashionable grains like quinoa so a great alternative if you’re cooking on a budget.

takes: 35-45 minutes
makes: enough for 2-3 as a side
250g (9oz) pearled barley

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil.

2. Add barley and boil for 30 minutes (set your timer).

3. Taste and if tender move on to the next step. If still ‘chalky’ in the middle keep cooking for another 5 minutes. Keep tasting and cooking until you’re happy.

4. Drain well then keep the colander or strainer for the excess steam to evaporate until you’re ready to serve. Or cool and store in the fridge / freezer.

Usage Suggestions

salad – recipe here.

soup – recipe here. Or just add cooked barley to you favourite veggie soup like my mum used to.

rice alternative – a more hearty wholesome alternative to steamed rice to serve with curries, stir fries or slow cooked dishes.

quinoa alternative – serve anywhere you’d normally use quinoa.

breakkie bowl – serve warm barley topped with yoghurt and fresh fruit.

Prepare Ahead?

Absolutely! To reheat the microwave is great or if you don’t have a microwave like I do, you can either fry it in a little oil in a frying pan or pop it in the oven in a covered oven proof pot for 10 minutes at about 180C (350F).

Storage Best Practices

Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Can be frozen for up to 12 months. When reheating you can go straight from the freezer to the oven / microwave / pan.