Can you cook porridge? Yes, most housewives will answer, referring to buckwheat, rice and semolina. Can you make delicious barley? Most at least think about it. Indeed, today this cereal is less and less used for food. Only canteens continue to regularly prepare a simple and very useful side dish. Today we’ll talk about how to cook pearl barley porridge in water.
Worth trying
This is a very ancient cereal with which a man met at the dawn of civilization. He got his name for good reason. This is a direct comparison with the river pearl, which grows shell - pearl barley. Delicious, nutritious and healthy, it is still a valuable product.
But lovers of such a side dish today are very difficult to find. Ask anyone, he will answer that he never cooks it at home. Maybe modern cooks and housewives just don’t know how to cook pearl barley porridge in water? If so, then the situation is easy to fix. By the way, those who lived in the village usually retain fond memories of the barley prepared by the grandmother. Boiled in a cast iron and flavored with stew, it was not just edible, but amazingly tasty.
Composition
You can just wave it off, because buckwheat is much faster and easier to cook. But the beneficial properties of barley are not so easy to overshadow. This cereal contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, macro- and microelements, amino acids. Barley is rich in iron and copper, manganese and selenium, zinc. It contains protein and fats. The calorie content of the finished porridge is 109 kcal per 100 g of product. This is a hearty and nutritious dish. But in order to cook it deliciously, you need to know how to cook pearl barley porridge in water. It is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.
Beneficial features
Barley contains a huge amount of fiber. If there are problems with constipation, then be sure to introduce barley into the diet. But the portions should be small. Start with one tablespoon per day. Gradually bring the amount to 100 g. Otherwise, you can get the opposite effect. We will not talk about the benefits of vitamins, your body needs them every day.
Barley contains a lot of phosphorus, which is simply invaluable to the body. The benefit for women is due to the large amount of lysine. It contributes to the production of collagen, and this is exactly what helps preserve the beauty of your skin and hair. In general, there are a lot of reasons for eating barley. Let's move on to the main topic and consider how to cook pearl barley porridge in water.
Subtleties and nuances
If you need a side dish immediately, then come up with something else. Boil potatoes, cook rice. But do not try to quickly cook pearl barley. You will again make sure that you will never cook it again. Although the technology itself is very simple, it takes a considerable amount of time. But it is worth saying in defense of barley, most of this time the cereal is prepared by itself, without the participation of the hostess. Therefore, on the next weekend, you can surprise relatives with this unusual side dish. You can use porridge as a full meal.
Have you tried boiling barley? Most housewives will answer yes, and this was their first and last experience. You just did not know how to cook friable pearl barley porridge in water.
Highlights
Things to keep in mind:
- Always soak the cereal in water. Without this, barley is dense and very tough. Long cooking will not help either. The best recipe is to pour a glass of cereal with a liter of cold water and leave overnight.
- As with cooking any other cereal, you must observe proportions based on what result you want to get. If you need a loose side dish, then you need to take 2.5 glasses of water per glass of cereal. If you want porridge to be viscous, then take 4 glasses of water.
- How to cook pearl barley porridge in water? This is the most sensitive issue. If you are in a hurry, then prepare another side dish. The classic recipe requires a long boil, up to 6 hours. But if you follow the rules and soak the cereal for 12 hours, then the cooking time will be reduced to 45 minutes.
- After cooking, leave the porridge to rest for a few more hours. Close and wrap the pan tightly. And the longer the dish will fry, the tastier it will be.
- Barley can be cooked on the stove or in the oven.
And of course, porridge must be seasoned with butter. So each grain is saturated with its taste and will become friable and tasty.
Modern assistant
Today, the housewives have the opportunity to greatly save time and effort. Since it’s not difficult to cook pearl barley porridge in water, you can delegate this task to a slow cooker. The most important thing is to maintain a low temperature for a long time so that the cereal has time to properly swell. This is the best way for a slow cooker. You need to set the "Cereals" mode for 45 minutes. After that, leave it on the “Heating” mode for another hour.
The main secret is that cereals need to be cooked for a long time, at a low temperature. Otherwise, the protein-rich filling is curled up similarly to legume fruits. To prevent this, the fire should be minimal. That is why such a delicious barley was obtained in a cast iron, in a Russian stove.
Crumbly side dish
Let us now consider how to cook pearl barley porridge in water. A step-by-step recipe is relatively quick compared to the classic version.
- Prepare the grits. It will need to be sorted out and washed. Soak for at least three hours, after which the water must be drained.
- Pour in fresh water and start cooking.
- Cook porridge for one and a half hours.
But this is only one way of cooking. You can cook it in a water bath. In this case, the cooking process is somewhat delayed, but the cereal is especially tasty and crumbly. To do this, in a similar way, prepare the cereal and fill it with water, install in a water bath and cook for 6 hours.
Classic recipe
The process is the longest, but, according to connoisseurs, the result is perfect.
- Take a glass of cereal and pour it with a liter of cold water. Leave for a few hours.
- Boil it for several hours.
- Add cream or butter, you can use cream cheese.
- Place in a water bath and simmer for another 3-4 hours.
Transfer the prepared porridge to the cauldron, add oil to taste and close the lid. Leave to stand. The longer she insists, the tastier it will be.
Side dishes and sauces
Porridge goes well with butter. But if you want, you can add stew to it or make any sauce. For example, fry some minced meat, onion and carrots. Add spices and salt to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes. Fill boiled cereals with oil, after which you can add the sauce to it. You can decorate with any greenery. You can make mushroom or chicken sauce.
It turns out a delicious and nutritious dish. Cook it several times a week and the body will not feel the need for vitamins and minerals. The main thing is to preliminarily learn how to cook it. The recipe for pearl barley porridge on the water is not complicated, but requires a certain amount of free time. Following simple rules, you will get an excellent result.
Barley for weight loss
Low calorie and high nutritional value, as well as the content of vitamins and minerals allow the use of cereals for mono-diet. Judging by the reviews, she is not too hungry, albeit monotonous. If you like pearl barley, then such a menu will not cause much inconvenience. Within five days you need to eat exclusively porridge in the water, 4 times a day, in equal portions. In addition, you need to drink at least 2 liters of water.
Instead of a conclusion
In your family, this recipe for pearl barley porridge in water may also become a favorite. How much to cook it is a moot point. Many housewives say the longer the better. The main thing is that the temperature should not be too high. On this basis, many people prefer to cook it in a slow cooker or in the oven. In this case, you get the opportunity to set the desired temperature. Bring to a boil, and then reduce it. It turns out the effect of the Russian stove. Add butter and simmer until tender.