Pearl barley is a healthy and valuable product, which is endowed not only with a lot of useful properties, but also with excellent taste.
Today many people confuse this cereal with barley, but in fact the differences between them are significant. Pearl barley is a soft whole grain that is slightly brown in color. Nowadays you can find them in any store. Many modern housewives have probably wondered: how to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker? In fact, it is quite simple to prepare, especially since the kitchen appliance will do most of the work for you. Recipes for pearl barley porridge are known to all women, as it is a nutritious, healthy, satisfying and very tasty dish. To prepare it you will need a minimum of products that can always be found in the grocery store.
Pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker is the healthiest and most nutritious royal porridge
Preparing pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker is simple, but the dish turns out tasty and healthy. The classic recipe includes pearl barley porridge with milk. Milk porridge is hearty and healthy; this dish is often served in kindergartens. Cooking breakfast does not take much time, and you can also use the “Delayed Start” mode, which will allow you to get a fresh breakfast without spending any time on cooking in the morning. Here's how to cook pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker.
Ingredients for the dish “pearl porridge in a slow cooker”
- 455 ml milk;
- 110 g pearl barley;
- 11 g butter;
- 20-30 g sugar.
Description of the preparation of the dish “barley porridge in a slow cooker”
- Rinse the pearl barley well in several waters, soak for several hours, preferably overnight.
- Rinse the cereal again under tap water.
- Grease the multicooker with butter, add cereals to the container.
- Add milk and sugar to the main ingredient and mix well.
- For taste, you can add a little butter to the milk.
- Activate the “Milk porridge” mode; it is better to cook for about 50 minutes.
- Switch the kitchen appliance to the “Heating” mode for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe for barley with meat in a slow cooker
To prepare this dish you will need:
- like a glass of pearl barley;
- 300 grams of beef or pork;
- 2.5 glasses of water;
- 1 piece each onions and carrots;
- 2 tomatoes;
- salt and pepper to taste.
We rinse the meat under running water, cut it into small pieces, put it in a multicooker and set the “Baking” mode. Cook the meat for 30 minutes. Then finely chop the vegetables and add them to the slow cooker. We prepare everything together before the signal. Turn off the multicooker and add pearl barley, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Fill everything with water and turn on the “Pilaf” mode on the multicooker. After the signal, turn it off and serve the finished porridge to the table.
Author: Katerina Sergeenko
Variants of recipes for the dish “barley porridge in a slow cooker”
There are several ways to prepare pearl barley porridge as a side dish. The most common recipe for barley with meat in a slow cooker. The article below will discuss several similar recipes. Since pearl barley porridge goes well with almost any meat, this dish is best prepared for dinner. Let's take a closer look at all the options for this dish.
Pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker on water
If you want to reduce the calorie content of your breakfast, you can cook barley in water in a slow cooker. The dish will not be so tender, but low in calories. And if you want to reduce calories and prepare a delicious, tender breakfast, you can mix water and milk in equal proportions. If you cook without milk, you need to use the “Porridge” mode, everything else is the same as in the classic recipe.
Barley porridge with mushrooms in a slow cooker
This recipe will be discussed in as much detail as possible, as it is very different from the classic one. All dishes that will be discussed above are based on this recipe, and not on the recipe for milk porridge. Pearl barley porridge with mushrooms in a slow cooker is a hearty lunch that will delight all family members. Preparing such a dish is simple and not particularly difficult.
Ingredients for the dish “barley porridge in a slow cooker” with mushrooms
- 210 g pearl barley; shampoo
- 610 ml hot water;
- 310 g champignons (you can use other edible mushrooms);
- onion;
- butter;
- salt.
Recipe for “barley porridge in a slow cooker” with mushrooms
- Chop the onion and mushrooms into random small pieces.
- Activate the electrical appliance and turn on the “Frying” program.
- Grease the multicooker bowl with oil, fry the onions and champignons for 16 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Rinse the pearl barley (it is not necessary to soak it in advance, but if you do, the porridge will turn out more tender).
- Place the cereal on top of the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Pour hot water over the ingredients, add salt and mix lightly.
- Switch the multicooker to the “Grains” mode and cook for about 45 minutes.
Pearl barley porridge with stewed meat in a slow cooker
Pearl barley porridge with stew in a slow cooker is an unusual recipe that few people know about. It’s easy to prepare pearl barley with stewed meat; you need to follow the recipe for porridge with mushrooms, only add stewed meat instead of champignons. For taste, you can also add carrots to the dish “barley with stew in a slow cooker.” Vegetables should be fried and then cooked in the "Grain" mode for 50 minutes. Pearl barley porridge with meat, including beef and pork, is prepared in the same way in a slow cooker.
Pearl barley porridge with vegetables in a slow cooker
Barley can be prepared with various vegetables in a slow cooker. But porridge with pumpkin turns out to be the most delicious and attractive in appearance. Remove all vegetables from the recipe with mushrooms, including champignons, leaving only water, cereal, pumpkin, spices and oil. It is better to use salt and curry as seasoning. There is no need to fry the pumpkin, just chop it in the “Grain” mode for about 40 minutes. This is how easy it is to cook porridge with pumpkin in a slow cooker.
Barley with breast in a slow cooker
Pearl barley porridge with chicken in a slow cooker is a special dietary dish that everyone is recommended to include in their diet. It turns out especially tasty if you use poultry breast as meat. You can also add vegetables if desired; it is advisable to fry the chicken for 5 minutes, and vegetables for about 10-15 minutes. Then add water and cereal to the ingredients, mix and cook for 50 minutes in the “Cereal” program.
Pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker with lard
If you like a fattier and juicier dish, then this recipe is for you. It is best to use lard, about 50-100 grams. In addition, you will also need cereal, water, carrots, onions and spices. Pork lard should first be melted in the “Frying” mode, and then the vegetables should be fried with it. All that remains is to add the remaining ingredients and cook in the “Grain” mode for 50 minutes.
How to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker - rules and tips
Before moving on to specific delicious recipes, it is worth getting acquainted with the general recommendations for preparing pearl barley dishes. They will help you cook pearl barley in a slow cooker without any problems, regardless of what components are included in the recipe you choose.
The ratio of water and pearl barley in a multicooker
These numbers depend on what kind of porridge you want to get as a result. To get crumbly pearl barley, you need to pour 2.5 times more water into the multicooker than you took the cereal. As a result, the dish will turn out like pilaf.
If you need a thinner porridge that is great for breakfast, then the proportions of cereal and water should be different - 1:4. Pearl barley will boil well in a large amount of liquid and will be very soft.
How long to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker without soaking
It is best to cook this grain with preliminary soaking. But if for some reason you decide not to do this, then you can rely on the following recommendation. It takes from 60 minutes to 1.5 hours to cook pearl barley without soaking it in water. This is if you decide to cook whole grains. There is also cereal in bags. In this case, the cooking time is reduced to 45 minutes.
How to soak pearl barley
Pre-soaking significantly speeds up the process of preparing both boiled porridge and crumbly pearl barley. Since this cereal is quite hard and does not cook well, the swelling period should be long - 10-12 hours. If you are preparing a pearl barley dish for breakfast or as a side dish for lunch, it is better to soak the barley in the evening.
To prepare delicious pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker, try pre-soaking the grain not in water, but in whey.
And one more small point - when soaking it is important to maintain proportions. One glass (200 ml) of whole grains is poured with one liter of cool water. I assure you that by morning you will receive well-swollen grains.
How to cook delicious pearl barley in a slow cooker
Any recipe given below is good in its own way, but there is a small nuance that is advisable to apply. After cooking is finished, keep the contents of the multicooker under the lid for another half an hour. If there is a heating function, you can use it. During this time, the cereal will steam even better and the dish will become more tender.
What to do before soaking pearl barley
The cereal must be washed several times in running water. And after that, fill it with lukewarm water to swell. Also, pay attention to the production date of the product. It has been noticed that the fresher the pearl barley, the softer it will be and the less time it will take to cook it.
Which multicooker makes pearl barley tastier?
As practice shows, it doesn’t matter at all what brand your kitchen unit is: Polaris, Redmond or Panasonic. Most of them have the same functions and operating principles. For example, I successfully use Mulinex. But even if you have a Philips or multi-pressure cooker, you will not have problems with cooking.
Tips for recipes for “barley porridge in a slow cooker”
It is better to buy small grains; this variety cooks faster and is softer and more tender. Rinse the pearl barley until the water runs clear.
It is advisable to pour the grains overnight or at least for 3-4 hours; in this case, the dish will turn out more tender and cook faster.
It is advisable to let the porridge “heat” in the “Warming” mode for 5-10 minutes. And if the dish has not had time to prepare, you should increase the time of the “Warming” program to 20-30 minutes.
Recipe for making pilaf from pearl barley porridge
To prepare you need to stock up:
- 500 grams of pearl barley;
- 500 grams of bacon;
- 1 onion and 1 carrot;
- Tomato paste (1 tablespoon) and spices (to taste);
- 250 grams of butter.
How to prepare barley pilaf:
- Pork is fried with vegetables. To do this, you need to take dishes with thick walls (preferably a cauldron or stewpan).
- You need to add spices and tomato paste to the finished fried pork.
- Porridge - pearl barley - is soaked for 3-4 hours (1.5 parts of water are added for each part of the cereal).
- The soaked porridge is boiled separately for 15 minutes. You need to cook it over low heat.
- Next, add pork and vegetables to the porridge and add broth (it should be left after cooking the meat).
- The mixed components and cereals are evaporated.
- After this, you need to put barley pilaf in a special bowl and place it in the oven (preheated) for 45-50 minutes. The oven temperature should be heated to 200-220 degrees.
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How long to cook barley
Previously, it was necessary to cook pearl barley for hours, after soaking it almost overnight. Modern pearl barley cooks quite quickly because it is steamed. But still, this is the longest-cooking cereal... There will be several methods, and all of them are proven.
Pearl barley, which in the army used to be called “shrapnel,” has many fans. It makes delicious soups, rassolniks are especially popular. On our website you will find one that is prepared even without oil. And it is very tasty with mushrooms.
How long should you cook pearl barley?
