Crumbly pearl barley with onions and carrots. Pearl barley porridge with onions and carrots

How to deliciously cook pearl barley with vegetables?

Original pearl barley dishes with vegetables must be prepared taking into account the following nuances:

The most important point is preparing the cereal. Before cooking, pearl barley is soaked overnight, which softens the grains and acquires a delicate structure.
If you follow all the rules for preparing pearl barley, boil it and cook in a water bath for 6 hours. However, this takes a lot of time, so many housewives simply boil it for 40 minutes or an hour until the cereal reaches the desired condition.
Vegetables are often fried separately from cereals, and then pearl barley is added to them.
Porridge can also be steamed - due to this, useful substances remain in it, and the calorie content is reduced.

Pearl barley porridge with vegetables - recipe

A dish such as pearl barley porridge with vegetables is ideal for those who are on a diet or fasting. It turns out not only tasty, but also satisfying and extremely healthy. The porridge will appeal to all family members and will ideally satisfy the feeling of hunger. The combination of pearl barley, herbs and vegetables creates a wonderful flavor combination.

pearl barley – 2 cups;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
onions – 1 pc.;
canned peas - 1 can;
salt and pepper;
curry – 1 pinch;
seasoning for pilaf;
vegetable oil – 30 ml.

Chop vegetables and fry. Put them in a cauldron.
Add the peas along with the liquid from the jar. Add salt and pepper, spices. Mix.
Place pearl barley in a dry frying pan and fry for 5 minutes.
Place the cereal on the vegetables in a casserole and pour boiling water over it until it covers it by about 2 fingers.
Cook until the cereal is ready; pearl barley with vegetables will be ready in an hour.

Barley with meat and vegetables

A dish like pearl barley with chicken and vegetables becomes even more satisfying with the help of meat. In addition, it will come out extremely soft and fragrant. The whole family will definitely enjoy this dish. You need to eat pearl barley immediately after cooking. After cooling, the porridge loses its taste and becomes hard.

pearl barley – 1 cup;
meat – 0.5 kg;
bell pepper, onion, carrot – 1 pc.;
salt and pepper, spices;
garlic – 2 cloves;
water or broth - 900 ml.

Rinse the cereal and add water. Leave overnight.
Slice the meat and fry it.
Add vegetables. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add pearl barley to the mixture. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Pour out the water or broth, add the remaining ingredients, and boil. Barley with meat and vegetables will be ready in an hour.

Pearl barley soup with vegetables

An interesting option for preparing cereal would be to make it as a first course. Vegetable soup with barley has a truly unsurpassed delicious taste. There is nothing complicated in the recipe; even a novice cook can handle it. Using a variety of spices, you can add a certain flavor to the dish.

pearl barley – 0.5 cups;
carrots, onions - 1 pc.;
potatoes – 3 pcs.;
cherry tomatoes – 4 pcs.;
garlic – 3 cloves;
Bay leaf;
salt.

Bring the barley to a boil, leave to simmer until almost done.
Add chopped vegetables to the soup. Cook until softened.
Attach the remaining components. Boil and let stand for a quarter of an hour.

How to cook pearl barley pilaf?

Ingredients: half a kilo of chicken, carrots, 2 multi-cups of barley, 5 multi-cups of filtered water, onion, garlic to taste, table salt, pilaf seasoning.

Onions, carrots and garlic are chopped in any way and sautéed in butter or vegetable oil. When the vegetables are ready, add chicken pieces to them.
Together, the products are cooked until the meat is browned.
Pearl barley is washed well and added to fried chicken and vegetables. The mass is salted and sprinkled with pilaf seasonings.
The ingredients are filled with water.

The dish is prepared for 65 minutes in the “Rice/Grains” mode.

How to cook pearl barley porridge with vegetables

Pearl barley is barley grains that are cleared of bran. Properly prepared porridge from this cereal, using a good recipe, will become your household’s favorite dish. Pearl barley porridge is not only very tasty, but also healthy, thanks to the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fiber it contains. It is a source of nutrients, microelements, vitamins and minerals that help the human body work effectively. A serving of pearl barley charges the body with energy, strength, vigor and positivity for the whole day.

Barley with vegetables, prepared according to the presented recipe, will become a favorite on your table. The combination of royal cereals, herbs and vegetables is the best solution for a wholesome, healthy, satisfying and complete breakfast for the whole family. The recipe for the dish is quite simple. Will this dish not only nourish your body, but improve your health and mood? figure. Any novice housewife can handle this recipe, thanks to the detailed description, recommendations and photographs presented.

Description of preparation:

I suggest preparing pearl barley with carrots and onions.
If desired, pearl barley porridge can be varied with any other vegetables or meat or minced meat. There is nothing complicated in preparation, one rule - pearl barley must be soaked in water for several hours, then the dish will be noticeably tastier, and the cooking time will undoubtedly be reduced significantly. Purpose: For dinner / Inexpensive / Family dinner / best at home Main ingredient: Vegetables / Onions / Carrots / Garlic / Cereals / Pearl barley Dish: Hot dishes / Porridge / Side dishes Diet: Lenten dishes / Vegetarian food

Preparation

1. The most important step in this recipe is preparing the pearl barley. Rinse it under running water and fill it with warm water for 7 – 10 hours. It is advisable to do this at night so as not to waste time in the morning and start cooking.

2. Then drain the water and rinse with cold water. Pour into a saucepan and add one liter of water, salt. Bring to a boil, simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. Place the finished porridge in a colander and allow all the liquid to drain.

3. Meanwhile, start with the vegetables. Peel the bell pepper from seeds, and peel the onion. Finely chop into cubes, sticks - whatever you want. Pour 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a saucepan or frying pan and heat. Add the chopped vegetables and fry for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Pour the pearl barley into a saucepan and stir. Keep on fire for 5 minutes, stir.

5. Wash the tomato with water. Cut into medium cubes. Chop the parsley finely.

6. Add to the saucepan, stir, let simmer for two minutes, place on plates. Barley with vegetables and herbs is ready. You can safely serve it to the table and delight your household with your culinary masterpieces.

Pearl barley with vegetables, prepared 3+ according to this recipe, turns out tender, aromatic, appetizing, melting in your mouth. This porridge deserves a place on every dinner table. The calorie content of the finished porridge with vegetables will be 350 kilocalories. This dish is healthy, satisfying, nutritious and tasty, which is ideal for a healthy and nutritious diet for the whole family. It's very easy to prepare. To prepare, use any vegetables you have on hand. By following the step-by-step recipe with photographs, you will succeed and will not have any problems.

Pearl barley porridge as a side dish in a slow cooker

Ingredients: 2 multi-cups of pearl barley, 2 times more filtered water, vegetable oil, carrots, table salt, onion. How to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker for a side dish is described below.

The cereal is soaked for 40-45 minutes in very hot water.
First, the onion is fried in vegetable oil in the bowl of a pan, then the vegetable along with the carrots.
The slightly soaked pearl barley is washed and laid out on top of the frying.
It's not cold water pouring out from above. At this stage, you can immediately add salt.
In the program intended for cooking pilaf, the dish will simmer for 40-45 minutes.

In a sealed container, the finished food should be left to steep for another 20-25 minutes.

Tips for the recipe

Can't imagine this dish without meat? Then feel free to fry it with mushrooms, onions and mix with pearl barley. This porridge is universal and can be combined with all products.
You can use olive oil or butter to fry onions and peppers.
If you are on a diet, steam this dish. This way, more vitamins will be retained and the calorie content of the dish will be reduced.
You can also add olives or pitted olives and decorate the finished porridge with them.

Feel free to experiment, fantasize, add your own ingredients and surprise your household with always different pearl barley, but very tasty and healthy.

Recipes for dietary dishes made from pearl barley

The recipes described above only include the preparation of pearl barley porridge. How to dispose of it further, with what and how to serve it, you have to decide at your own discretion. Various diets include recipes for dishes with barley. They are prepared and served in a variety of ways and include meat, vegetable and sweet additions.

Barley garnish

There are quite a few options for a side dish of pearl barley for dietary nutrition. In addition to classic porridge with a minimum of oil, barley is prepared with the addition of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin. The green pot porridge recipe is good for its light taste and is additionally enriched with vitamins.

What to cook from:

a small can of canned peas;
30 ml of pure oil;
a pinch of curry and spices for pilaf;
salt;
a couple of sweet carrots and a juicy onion;
2 cups pearl barley.

How to cook:

The cereals are inspected and any debris found is removed. Selected grains are poured into a colander, washed thoroughly and allowed to dry completely.
Place a massive uncoated frying pan over moderate heat, add dry pearl barley and fry for 5-8 minutes, then pour into a bowl.
Fresh vegetables are peeled, the onion is cut into centimeter-sized cubes, and it is convenient to grate the carrot. After heating a frying pan with oil, sauté the onions in it.
Carrot chips are added to the roasting pan that has begun to brown and simmer for 3 minutes. and transfer the vegetables to a pot or multicooker bowl.
Peas without broth, seasonings and salt are added to the sauteing. Next, add a layer of fried pearl barley.
Substituting a ladle so as not to wash out the ingredients, pour in heated water to a level a couple of centimeters above the cereal.
The multicooker is started in the pilaf cooking mode, but if the side dish is cooked in a pot, turn on the maximum heat and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Next, adjust the burner to minimum heat and simmer the barley under the lid for 45–50 minutes.

Ready-made porridge is good as a side dish, but it can also be served as a vegetarian pilaf. Peas can be used frozen (after partial thawing), but if the product is canned, there is no need to select it based on softness.

Pearl barley soup

Barley, which comes out quite bland without frying, becomes noticeably higher in calories when using oil. This is unacceptable for diets, and a compromise option is to prepare the soup with light chicken broth.

Ingredients:

chicken thighs without skin and fat – 300 g;
100 g pearl barley;
celery stalk – 1 pc.;
a pinch of salt and white pepper;
small carrot;
a handful of dill and 1 bay leaf;
white onion.

How to cook:

The washed pearl barley is left in water to soak for 3–5 hours, replacing it with fresh one a couple of times. Before adding to the soup, the cereal is additionally washed.
The skin is removed from the chicken, layers of fat are removed, and the flesh is cut to the bone. Pour water into a saucepan, heat to a boil and drain the broth.
Pour 2 liters of water over the thighs again, and when they boil, collect the foam and floating fat. Add spices, celery and the whole onion to the saucepan.
After letting the broth boil, add the cereal that has been squeezed out of moisture and adjust the heat to moderate. After 15 min. add grated carrots, turn the heat to very low, and cook covered for 40 minutes. and check the readiness of the cereal.
As soon as the pearl barley becomes soft enough, remove the onion, bay and celery, and remove the chicken to a plate. The broth is salted and lightly peppered, and cooked until the pearl barley is ready.
The chicken is removed from the bones, separated into fibers or chopped. Dividing the meat into portions, pour the soup into plates and sprinkle with dill.

Green onions are also good in combination with pearl barley soup; the feathers can be chopped or served on a plate separately.

Barley and pumpkin soup

Lenten recipe, the dish does not contain fasting products. The soup is quite filling with a moderate calorie content, and can be recommended even for strict diets.

Ingredients:

pumpkin pulp (peeled) – 200 g;
juicy salad onion;
clove of garlic;
1 tbsp. l. chopped parsley;
salt;
40 ml vegetable oil;
a pinch of hand-ground pepper;
1/2 cup selected pearl barley;
to taste - curry or aromatic herbs.

How to cook:

Even the highest quality grains should be inspected for the presence of foreign inclusions. Next, the pearl barley is washed in several waters and left in the latter overnight. It is advisable to remove the cereal while soaking in the cold.
Before cooking, the pearl barley is washed one last time and placed on a sieve. After the moisture has drained, pour 800 ml of boiling water into a saucepan and place on high heat. Once it boils, reduce the temperature and record for 25 minutes.
Rub peeled carrots on large cells with medium-length shavings. The garlic clove is crushed with a press or chopped with a knife, the onion is dissolved into 4 parts and then into slices in 1/4 rings.
Vegetables for sautéing can be mixed. Place them in a frying pan with 20 ml of heated oil and fry for several minutes over low heat. The sauté is seasoned with curry and heated for another minute and transferred to a plate.
Pour the rest of the oil into the frying pan, turn up the heat and quickly cut the pumpkin pulp into cubes. Fry the pumpkin, stirring occasionally, then add it to the pan with the cereal along with the rest of the vegetables.
Rinse the frying pan with a couple of ladles of broth and pour it into the pan. After boiling, the soup is seasoned and added, and simmered under the lid for up to half an hour. You can remove the dish from the stove earlier if the pumpkin and cereal are already ready.
The parsley must be washed and then chopped or the leaves removed from the stems. Season the soup already poured into bowls with herbs and lightly pepper it, or offer parsley to it separately.

Pearl barley soups with vegetables can be prepared and served with hot pepper seasonings. If the recipe in this form fits within the framework of a weight loss diet, gravy boats with Tabasco or chili ketchup are placed on the table.

Rassolnik with pearl barley

Soup cooked with lean veal is not very high in calories, although pickles are prepared without meat at all. The proposed recipe is a compromise; it uses dietary white chicken.

What to cook from:

medium-sized potato tubers – 5 pcs.;
4 pickled cucumbers and 300 ml of their brine;
100 g pearl barley;
salt and spices - to taste;
a couple of sweet carrots;
400 g chicken breast;
big onion.

How to cook:

The pearl barley is sorted and washed thoroughly in a sieve under the tap. After allowing a few minutes for the moisture to drain, the cereal is transferred to a thermos and left for 60 minutes. pour boiling water over it.
The chicken is freed from skin and membranes, cut into cubes, into half a matchbox. Pour water over the meat and after boiling, collect all the foam. Place steamed pearl barley in a saucepan and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
Peeled potatoes are dissolved into small cubes, and carrots are grated on the middle cells of a grater. Add vegetables to the soup, then pour in the brine, and season the dish.
Cucumbers are cut into 0.5 cm cubes, onions are slightly larger, everything is put in a saucepan and simmered for 10 minutes. for cooking. Pepper the pickle to taste and add salt after 1 minute. turn off the heating.

For the sake of diet, you will have to give up sour cream as a sauce, traditional for pickles.

Risotto with pearl barley

Central Asian pilaf is sometimes prepared with pearl barley instead of the usual rice, but this is what the recipe for lean European risotto with this grain looks like.

What to cook from:

dry pearl barley – 200 g;
champignons of any size – 300 g;
2 medium tomatoes and onions;
pure vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l.;
salt;
large fruit of red sweet pepper;
a pair of garlic cloves;
hand-ground black pepper.

How to cook:

After thorough rinsing, the pearl barley is filled with water and placed in a cool room or refrigerator for 6 hours. Before preparing risotto, the grains are discarded in a colander or sieve and washed again with running water. Boil pearl barley for 30 minutes. in a large amount of water until half cooked and crumbly consistency.
The bulbs are peeled and dissolved into squares, and sent to fry in a pot in hot oil. The champignons are cleaned and rinsed, blotted with a towel. The form of cutting the mushrooms is small slices; they are added to the fried onion when it begins to brown.
The champignons are fried with onions at moderate temperature, stirring occasionally. After 10 min. pour about a glass of water into the pot and cover with a lid.
The pepper is cut in half and the seeds are cleaned, the pulp is dissolved into small squares. The tomatoes are not peeled, only the light seals are cut out, if any are present in the pulp, and the pulp itself is cut twice as large as the pepper. Garlic is peeled and chopped on a board with a knife.
All crushed ingredients are sent to the pot and simmered for 5 minutes. Add pearl barley and stir the risotto, leave to simmer on low heat until done under the lid. The dish is salted and seasoned to taste a couple of minutes before turning off the stove.

Barley, recipes for weight loss from which imitate meat dishes, does not require a large amount of seasoning. Spices stimulate the appetite, and it will be difficult to stay within the diet.

Stew with barley

An extremely simple recipe with minimal calories. To further increase the benefits of the dish, cook it in olive oil.

Ingredients:

200 g quality pearl barley;
large juicy tomato;
55 ml pure olive oil;
large salad onion;
finely ground salt.

How to cook:

The pearl barley is washed and prepared for cooking. It is permissible to steam or soak the cereal, as described in previous recipes.
Peel the onion and cut it into quarter rings. The oil is heated in a saucepan with a massive base or a cast iron pot, and the onions are placed in it.
Sauté, stirring with a spatula, for up to 5 minutes, then add the diced tomato pulp. The heat is left on medium.
After the tomatoes release their juice and it has partially evaporated, pour in a liter of clean water and heat it until it boils.
Dip the prepared pearl barley into the vegetable broth, mix and add a little salt.
Cover tightly with a lid and reduce the heat to minimum, simmer for 40 minutes. and check the readiness of the cereal.
Depending on the quality of the pearl barley (do not use barley from “quick” packages), the dish can be cooked for up to 1 hour.

If there is no need to rush or there is no opportunity to prepare the cereal, it is simply washed and placed in this form. Simmer under the lid for up to 1.5 hours, adding water if necessary.

Barley with stewed meat

Pearl barley recipes
The dish can be included in the diet to replenish the supply of animal proteins. The chosen type of stew is not too fatty anyway, and special preparation allows you to get rid of fat almost completely.

What to cook from:

beef stew (natural) – 350 g;
large onion;
vegetable oil – 35 ml (can be increased slightly);
salt, garlic clove and pepper;
a couple of carrots;
250 g pearl barley.

How to cook:

Without opening canned food, leave for 20 minutes. Place the stew in very warm water. Next, the jar is not tilted or turned over; it is sent to the freezer for 2–3 hours to completely freeze.
Pour oil into the multicooker and turn on the frying mode. Grate the peeled carrots, dissolve the onion into cubes and place the vegetables in the bowl. Stirring, saute onion slices until lightly browned.
Canned food is opened, the congealed fat is collected and removed. The rest of the jar's contents are placed on a plate and the jelly is removed if desired. The meat is kneaded into small pieces and sent with chopped garlic to sauté.
After frying all the ingredients in the bowl for another 5 minutes, add the washed and dried cereal and pour in 3.5 cups of water. The operating mode is switched to extinguishing, the timer is set to 90 minutes.
If desired, the previously set aside frozen broth from canned food is added to the finished dish, the porridge is salted, seasoned and mixed. You can serve it immediately when ready, but the taste does not deteriorate even after heating.

You can fry onions in the reserved fat and sauté a dish for family members who are not on a diet.

Barley with kefir

The recipe is simple and unusual; the finished porridge without oil or other fats tastes quite rough. By adding low-fat fermented milk products to it, you get a completely edible and even tasty dish.

Ingredients:

pearl barley;
water for cooking porridge;
salt;
low-fat or low-calorie kefir or yogurt.

How to cook:

The cereal is prepared by prolonged soaking in clean water. If possible, the water should be replaced a couple of times within 12 hours. Boil the pearl barley at a low boil, pouring a liter of water into each glass of cereal.
As soon as the porridge becomes soft enough, it is salted and after a couple of minutes it is thrown into a colander; you can additionally rinse it with boiling water from a kettle. Once the porridge has cooled, add kefir and stir.

Barley, recipes for weight loss from which include kefir or yogurt, can be supplemented with honey or steamed dried apricots (raisins).

Vinaigrette with pearl barley

A dish from an ordinary, not at all dietary diet. The combination of products in it perfectly matches the requirements for dishes for weight loss.

What to cook from:

beets – 250 g;
crumbly pearl barley porridge – 200 g;
a couple of pickled cucumbers;
olive oil - as needed;
salt;
120 g sauerkraut.

How to cook:

Steamed or soaked pearl barley is boiled into a crumbly porridge. The beets are baked in foil or boiled without salt until softened.
The cabbage is squeezed out of the brine, washed if necessary and long pieces are shortened. Cucumbers and beets are dissolved into small cubes.
Combine and mix all the ingredients, add a little salt and season with oil. Spices are not indicated in the recipe, but you can lightly pepper the vinaigrette.

If desired, olive oil can be replaced with hot-pressed sunflower oil. The vinaigrette with this oil is very fragrant.

Barley in a slow cooker

Another dish in case there is a “window” in the dietary calendar, but the calorie content of the food must be within a reasonable range.

Ingredients:

a glass of sorted pearl barley;
350 g lean veal tenderloin;
one carrot and one lettuce onion;
salt, bay and pepper;
vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
500 ml water.

How to cook:

The meat is cleaned of films and fat, washed and cut into cubes the size of a quail egg. Program the multicooker to fry food, pour oil into the bowl and place the beef into it.
The vegetables are peeled and rinsed, cut into half the meat pieces and placed in a bowl when a golden brown crust forms on the beef. Stirring, fry until softened, you can set the timer for 30 minutes at the very beginning.
The pearl barley is pre-washed and soaked for at least 6 hours. After dousing it with water again, the barley is squeezed out and placed on top of the meat, water is poured in and the device is programmed to prepare pilaf. Duration – 45 min.
In 10–12 minutes. Before the timer stops, quickly mix the porridge with the meat, while adding salt and spices. You can add even more flavor to the meat porridge by chopping and adding a couple of cloves of garlic at this point.

Depending on the quality of the cereal and the actual time it was soaked, there may not be enough water. It is advisable to add only boiling water and in small portions.

Pots with mushrooms and pearl barley

The ingredients in the recipe are indicated for 3 pots, but the dish is very filling and can easily be divided into more servings.

What to cook from:

300 g each of dry pearl barley and fresh champignons;
medium-sized onion and carrots of the same weight;
a pinch of salt and pepper;
clove of garlic;
400 ml water;
60 ml vegetable oil;
large laurel leaf.

How to cook:

The grains are sorted, removing all broken grains. After rinsing in a bowl with running water, leave it in it for another couple of hours. Boil water and pour the specified amount of bay leaf, cover and leave until cool.
The mushrooms are cleaned and rinsed, dissolved into cubes, not too small. Send to saute at high temperature in heated oil, stir so that the slices do not burn.
The champignons are temporarily placed on a plate, the heat is reduced and small pieces of onion and grated carrots are added to the oil. Stirring, fry until the browning becomes almost the same color.
Place pearl barley, squeezed out of water, into the frying pan and return the mushrooms. The ingredients are mixed, adding salt and pepper. Add grated garlic and fry over medium heat for up to 5 minutes.
Divide the cereal with vegetables and mushrooms into three pots, add laurel-flavored water (the leaf is thrown away). If the liquid level does not rise above the food by 1 cm, add boiled water.
Cover the pots, place them on a wire rack and place them on the middle shelf of the oven. Turn on the heat and preheat the oven to 160°C, cook for 90 minutes, then leave for another hour after turning off the heat.

Bay leaf, even in the form in which it is used in the recipe, may not seem like the most successful spice.

It is acceptable to replace it with a small amount of Italian herbs or a mixture of ground peppers. Recipes for dishes with barley may seem unsuitable for weight loss. However, if the proportions are observed and prepared in accordance with the recommendations, the calorie content remains low, and the conditions of non-strict diets will not be violated.

Video recipe

Porridge is considered a dietary dish due to its low calorie content. 100 grams of porridge contains 320 kcal. Cereals contain fiber, which effectively removes fats, toxins, and water from the body, which promotes weight loss. Therefore, many nutritionists recommend consuming pearl barley porridge at least twice a week in moderate quantities. There are quite a lot of recipes for its preparation, but not all of them are correct and reliable. In order to prepare delicious porridge, you need to stock up on time, patience, good mood and quality products.

Recipes

Recipes for vegetarian (lenten) pearl barley porridge have the greatest dietary value. In combination with other plant products, the benefits of pearl barley are enhanced.

One of the most successful recipes is pearl barley porridge with mushrooms and onions. It has many variations in composition and method of preparation. The value of this porridge is in no way inferior to any meat recipe: mushrooms contain a lot of protein.

Classical

You will need:

2 tbsp. pearl barley (dry);
600 g of fresh mushrooms (in this case, champignons);
1 onion;
4 tbsp. water;
vegetable oil;
salt, spices to taste.

Preparation:

First, the pearl barley is boiled for 20 minutes in the first water, then it is drained and new water is poured in.
You can immediately mix it with a couple of tablespoons of butter (for the plasticity of the porridge), salt and seasonings.
So the dish is cooked under the lid on low heat for another 20 minutes.
Then the porridge is thrown into a colander and the water is allowed to drain.
Mushrooms need to be chopped and boiled for 5-7 minutes. The broth will still come in handy.
The champignons are fried with onions for only 4-5 minutes, then they are mixed with porridge and poured with broth.
The dish is stewed for at least another hour.

Porridge is especially good hot, piping hot. The dish is very light - 80 kcal/100 g.

Important!
Salt the dish very sparingly. When dieting, salty foods can hinder weight loss because such foods retain excess water in the body.

It is better to salt the porridge directly in the plate, if there is such a need.

Stewed in the oven

You will need:

1 tbsp. barley (dry);
2 onions;
300 g of any fresh mushrooms;
3 tbsp. liquids;
a bunch of greenery;
vegetable oil;
salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Mushrooms must be soaked, thoroughly cleaned, and washed. They are cut in any way.
The onion can be cut into half rings of medium thickness.
These products are combined and fried for 5 minutes until the onion turns golden brown.
The pearl barley is washed and added to the frying mixture, mixed thoroughly.
The dish is cooked for another 5 minutes.
Then the mixture is transferred to a cauldron or roasting pan, filled with liquid and placed in the oven.
For the first 15 minutes the temperature is 200 degrees, then it is reduced to 180.
Cooking time – 1 hour.

The calorie content is pleasing - only 60 kcal/100 g of product.

Attention!
As a liquid, you can use plain water, mushroom or vegetable broth, as well as low-fat meat broth from lean beef or chicken breast.

"Russian risotto"

You will need:

1.5 tbsp. barley (dry);
2 medium onions;
4 cloves of garlic;
200 g dried mushrooms;
0.5 liters of vegetable broth;
vegetable oil;
50 g hard cheese;
greenery;
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Chop the onion and garlic and fry in a heated frying pan until golden.
Then add pearl barley and fry for another 5-7 minutes.
The mushrooms are pre-soaked and added last.
Only after this is it time to fill the dish with broth. Do not pour out all the liquid at once, but in portions - 1/3 of it.

The porridge is served hot, with a “cap” of cheese and herbs. Calorie content – 150 kcal/100 g of product.

Important!
In order for the porridge to cook in an hour, the cereal must first be soaked. Fill it with warm water at night and rinse it in the morning. After this, the pearl barley is ready for processing.

With carrots, onions and bell peppers

You will need:

2 tbsp. barley (dry);
400 g fresh mushrooms;
1 onion;
1 carrot;
1 bell pepper;
1 parsley root;
0.5 l of liquid;
vegetable oil;
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Vegetables are peeled and cut: onions - into half rings, peppers - into cubes, parsley is finely chopped, and carrots are grated.
Fry in a small amount of oil.
Then the mixture is stewed with mushrooms.
When all the ingredients have released their juices and aromas, you can add pearl barley. It is best to pour vegetable broth over the porridge.
Simmer the dish until the liquid evaporates and the cereal is soft.

Calorie content – 95 kcal/100 g.

Interesting!
Barley turns out especially tender after soaking in low-fat milk.

Beneficial features

Many people underestimate all the benefits of this cereal, so they forget to include it in their diet.

It is rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Pearl barley contains potassium, iodine, phosphorus, cobalt, iron, bromine, zinc, and molybdenum. It also contains fiber, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and microelements. Pearl barley porridge contains important vitamins: A, B, E, PP. Each of these vitamins plays an important role in human life and performs specific functions.
This porridge is a powerful antioxidant due to the selenium it contains. Removes toxins, waste, harmful substances, fats, water from the body. The fiber contained in cereals helps cleanse the body and gastrointestinal tract. Metabolism improves, digestive processes are activated, intestinal motility is improved, the internal environment and microflora are improved.
Has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and circulatory system. Reduces blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Cleanses blood vessels, which reduces the risk of blood clots and plaques.
Improves the condition of skin, hair, nails. Rejuvenates the body thanks to the collagen and lysine contained in the porridge.

Harmful properties

Despite the benefits of pearl barley, there are also contraindications for use:

Individual intolerance to the product, allergic reactions;
Abuse. Use no more than three times a week;
It is contraindicated for people with high stomach acidity;
Barley porridge is harmful for those who suffer from frequent constipation.

Considering the pros and cons of this dish, draw certain conclusions and cook for your health.

See also how to cook peas without soaking.

How to cook pearl barley

The cereal is boiled after special preparation or without it. The taste of the dishes is practically the same: whether the cereal was soaked, steamed or added only after washing. It’s worth sorting through even the highest quality grains; even if there are no impurities in them, it is advisable to remove crushed grains.

Preparing pearl barley with soaking

The method is good because of the simplicity and speed of cooking the porridge, but you have to spend time on preliminary preparation.

Ingredients:

pearl barley – 1 cup;
clean water – 3 glasses;
a slice of butter – 20 g;
salt - to taste.

How to cook:

The cereal undergoes special processing, but at home it is worth at least sorting it out quickly. Next, the grains are poured into a colander and washed first under the tap, then dropped into a bowl of water and stirred. It will be necessary to change the water several times until most of the so-called flour is washed out.
Next, the cereal is left in a colander and filled with fresh water, kept in it for 10 to 15 hours. If the room is warm (above +20°C), the pearl barley should be put in the refrigerator. There is no need to stir the cereal or change the water when soaking.
Before cooking, change the water one last time, the estimated amount is 3:1 (less grains). First put the pan on high heat, and when it boils, add oil and adjust the stove so that the liquid in the pan simmers slowly.
The estimated cooking time is 45–55 minutes, but you should try the porridge after half an hour to evaluate the speed of boiling and the absorption of water by the grain. If there is too much moisture and the porridge is almost ready, it is permissible to drain some of the water into a bowl. There is no need to pour it out until the porridge is ready; if necessary, it is better to add broth rather than water.
The finished porridge is mixed and seasoned with oil in excess of what is specified in the recipe. They add salt at the same moment; it is not advisable to do this before.

Pearl barley, which can also be sweet in recipes for weight loss, is sweetened when it is ready. Salty barley is often served with meat with gravy; in contrast, more butter is added to sweet porridge.

Cooking pearl barley without soaking

The simplest option is to fill the washed cereal with water, add a little vegetable oil and cook over low heat until tender, periodically checking and adding boiling water as needed. This process can take up to several hours, depending on the quality of the particular grain.

The alternative method is more troublesome, but quick; the proportions of the main ingredients are selected on the fly.

What to cook from:

How to cook:

The cereal should be inspected and spoiled or husk-covered grains should be removed. Separately, place a kettle of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. As with soaking, the pearl barley is thoroughly washed.
Place the cereal in a saucepan, pour boiling water over it, forming a 2 cm layer over the pearl barley. After heating until boiling, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for 5 minutes. Next, along with the broth, throw the pearl barley into a colander.
Return the porridge to the pan and pour boiling water over it. This time there should be a little more water, and the porridge should be cooked for 30–40 seconds longer. The procedure is repeated up to 5 times, each time prolonging the cooking and increasing the volume of water.
They try the porridge, if the cereal is of the appropriate quality and everything is done correctly, it must be boiled one more time. Add salt to the barley, add a little oil and cook, stirring and taking a sample.

The cooking method is really not simple, but it allows you to cook crumbly pearl barley without soaking in less than an hour.