Crumbled pearl barley porridge step by step recipe, quick and easy from Irina Naumova

What are the benefits of pearl barley?

Pearl barley is processed barley grains. This porridge is highly nutritious and also contains the following beneficial substances:

vitamin B6;
potassium;
magnesium;
selenium;
phosphorus;
amino acids.

Due to the presence of valuable substances, pearl barley improves metabolism, as a result of which body weight is normalized and toxins are removed from the body. In addition, it is possible to get rid of constipation due to the increased fiber content. Properly prepared pearl barley porridge is not only very healthy, but also tasty.

The fastest way

How to cook crumbly pearl barley in water? The secret of the fastest method is to soak pearl barley for a long time. The minimum time it stays in water is 5 hours. In order to cook healthy porridge for breakfast, you need to leave it to soak overnight.

The viscosity of the resulting product can also be adjusted independently. To obtain crumbly porridge, 1 cup of raw pearl barley will require about 2.5 cups of water. In order for the product to have a high viscosity, this volume requires 1 liter of liquid.

The quick cooking algorithm is as follows:

the cereal must be soaked in warm water overnight, and it is recommended to rely on 1 part dry pearl barley to 4 parts warm water;
After the soaking time, it is recommended to drain the excess liquid;
after this, it is necessary to rinse the product well under running water;
Cooking time is about half an hour over low heat.

The result is a soft, crumbly, aromatic porridge.

Cooking process

How to prepare crumbly pearl barley porridge? The recipe for this dish does not recommend using grits, as they often contain pebbles and other debris. Therefore, to prepare such a side dish, it is better to use pearl barley in a package. It should be washed thoroughly in warm water, after placing it in a sieve.

Having achieved transparency of the liquid, the product is placed in a large saucepan and filled with cold drinking water. In this form, place the dishes on the stove and bring the contents to a boil. After 5 minutes the water is replaced. To do this, the old liquid is drained using the same sieve.

Carry out this process 3 or 4 times. It is necessary to ensure that pearl barley loses mucus as much as possible.

Finally, clean water is poured into the product again, brought to a boil, salt is added and cooked for an hour (it may take a little longer).

After the grains have significantly increased in size and become soft, they are thrown into a sieve and washed thoroughly with cold water. Then the pearl barley is shaken vigorously and scalded with boiling water.

Recipe without soaking

How to prepare crumbly pearl barley in water without pre-soaking? This method is suitable for those who have a lot of time for cooking.

Pearl barley must be rinsed well under running water several times to remove dust and other impurities.
After which it needs to be filled with 2.5–3 glasses of water per 1 glass of cereal.
Cook the porridge over low heat, stirring occasionally for 1.5 hours.

It is important not to forget to salt the food at the start of cooking, so the salt will evenly dissolve in the water and permeate the cereal.

Method No. 1 with pre-soaking

Pearl barley has only one drawback - it takes a long time to cook, so it is best to cook it by soaking it. To do this, pour barley grains into a saucepan and add 5-6 volumes of water. The exact amount of liquid does not matter, the main thing is no less.

The minimum time for swelling is 3 hours, it is best to leave the product in water until the morning. Before you start cooking, you need to rinse again under running water.

The ratio of pearl barley and water should be 1:3. Cook after it boils, with the lid slightly ajar over low heat. At the very beginning, you can add a piece of butter to the water, and add salt towards the end.

How long should you cook pearl barley after soaking?

Swollen cereals cook faster than dry ones, but it will still take about 30-40 minutes.

Ready to taste: the “pearls” should become soft. The water will evaporate during this time.

It will be very tasty if you mix the hot crumbling “pearls” with the stew, cover the pan and let it sit for another 15 minutes, wrapped in a towel.

We wash the cereal 2-3 times and then fill it with water. Soak pearl barley before cooking for half an hour to two.

Advice

When buying cereal, pay attention to the variety. According to the method of processing barley grain, a distinction is made between oblong barley, round barley and crushed barley.

Drain the liquid and transfer the cereal to a sieve. The amount of cereal will approximately double.

Advice. During soaking, excess starch will be removed from the cereal, and it will turn out crumbly and appetizing.

We clean the vegetables from skins and husks. Grind the carrots using a grater, and cut the onion into cubes.

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Fry vegetables in oil until soft.

Add corn to the pan along with the liquid. Simmer over low heat for 7-10 minutes.

Add soaked pearl barley and mix with sautéed vegetables.

Pour in enough water to completely cover the food. Add spices, salt.

Cook pearl barley porridge with vegetables for about 40 minutes. As the liquid boils away and the cereal swells, add water.

Cover the container with a lid and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. During this period, the pearl barley porridge will boil and become soft. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Serve as a side dish or as a separate dish.

Porridge in a slow cooker

The crumbly pearl barley recipe can also be used using kitchen appliances. In this case, there is no need to monitor the cooking time and constantly stir the pearl barley porridge. The cooking algorithm is as follows:

pour 1 cup of well-washed raw cereal into the multicooker bowl;
pour boiling water over it and wait 10 minutes (the ratio of dry cereal and liquid remains classic - for 1 glass of cereal 2.5 water);
after which it is recommended to add salt to taste;
It is recommended to cook in the “Buckwheat” mode for 60 minutes.

At the end of the cooking process, the multicooker turns off automatically, which is very convenient for busy housewives. As a result, the porridge turns out fluffy, crumbly and tasty.

To get a complete dish based on pearl barley, you need to add butter, stewed meat, vegetables or pre-fried minced meat to taste 15 minutes before the end of the process.

How to cook pearl barley porridge with meat in pots

You can cook pearl barley porridge as a complete dish for lunch in clay pots. It is cooked in the oven.

For 4 pots of 600-700 ml you will need the following products:

400 gr. pearl barley;
600 gr. any meat;
280 gr. carrots;
200 gr. onions;
1.5 liters of liquid (broth or water);
4 bay leaves;
spices and pepper to taste;
basil;
salt.

Preparation:

Before cooking, the cereal is washed and left to soak for 3-4 hours. The water is drained and the pearl barley is washed again.
The meat is chopped, seasoned with spices and salt, and left for a couple of hours.
Vegetables are chopped.
Place the meat in a saucepan with boiling oil and fry until golden brown. Add onion and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add carrots to the meat and onions and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add pearl barley to the saucepan and mix. The resulting mass is laid out in pots so that 2-3 cm remains to the top.
The pots are filled with broth. If you use water, you can add a little salt to the food.
Add a bay leaf to each pot, cover with lids and place in an oven heated to 200 °C.
After 30-40 minutes, reduce the cooking temperature to 180 C. Cook for another 60-90 minutes until the cereal is completely soft. Periodically look into the mounds, sometimes you need to add broth or water.

After turning off, the pots are left inside for 20 minutes. The porridge turns out aromatic; you can put a piece of butter in each pot.

How long to cook porridge

Recipes for crumbly pearl barley porridge differ not only in the number of ingredients and their proportions, but also in the cooking time. It can vary from 40 to 100 minutes, depending on the preliminary preparation of the cereal and the cooking method. In addition, the following factors may influence this:

the size of the pearl barley grain (it can be both large and small);
the thickness of the bottom and walls of the dishes that are involved in preparing the porridge;
the temperature of the water that is used to soak the cereal (it swells much faster when hot, which also has a positive effect on the speed of cooking the porridge).

Some experienced chefs advise bringing pearl barley to a boil over high heat. Then you need to drain the boiling water and fill the pearl barley with clean water. It takes much less time to prepare porridge according to this recipe, but the result is the same.

Barley in the oven

How to cook crumbly pearl barley in the oven? If you know some of the nuances, it is possible to prepare a tasty and aromatic porridge that will retain all its beneficial properties. To do this you need to do the following:

rinse the cereal thoroughly to remove dust;
soak it in hot water for 60 minutes;
Boil the pearl barley over low heat for 1 hour;
after this, the food must be removed from the stove and placed in a preheated oven for 40 minutes (at this stage you can add butter, meat, raisins, sugar or salt);
After this time, you need to leave the container with porridge in the oven for another 20–30 minutes.

With this method of preparation, pearl barley porridge turns out to be as healthy as possible, very tasty and melts in your mouth.

Porridge in the microwave

Many people use a microwave oven exclusively to reheat already cooked food. In fact, this kitchen appliance has many more functions. How to cook crumbly pearl barley in the microwave? To do this you need to follow these instructions:

Pearl barley must be washed well and pre-soaked for an hour in hot water;
after which you need to add water, salt, sugar, spices, butter to taste and place the barley in the microwave;
at medium power it should be cooked for 30–35 minutes;
At the same time, it is recommended to stir the porridge periodically so that it cooks evenly; this should be done approximately once every 10–15 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time, wrap the container with porridge in a warm towel and leave for 30 minutes.

Secrets of delicious pearl barley

Many people are interested in the question of how to properly cook pearl barley porridge so that it turns out tasty, crumbly and aromatic. To do this, you should know some secrets and subtleties of preparation, thanks to which crumbly pearl barley will become an integral part of your diet.

A distinctive feature of pearl barley is that it cannot be found among other grains. This is not surprising, since you can find barley, from the grains of which pearl barley is obtained. According to the chemical composition, crumbly pearl barley porridge is very tasty, healthy, and retains all vitamins and minerals even during heat treatment.

Pearl barley differs from all other cereals in that it has an excellent ratio of carbohydrates and proteins. In addition, it contains quite a lot of silicic acid and phosphorus, which have a beneficial effect on brain function, metabolism and the state of the nervous system. This explains why pearl barley is included in the diet of schools and kindergartens, hospitals, military units and health camps, and boarding houses.

The composition contains a huge amount of polysaccharides, which qualitatively reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. As for the amino acid lysine, it takes an active part in building muscle tissue, fighting various viruses and high-quality absorption of calcium. Don’t forget about vitamins A, D, E, B, which significantly improve the condition of nails, hair, and vision. It is important to note that crumbly pearl barley helps get rid of herpes.

If you prepare pearl barley correctly, you can cleanse your body of toxins, waste, and harmful substances. Thanks to these properties and chemical composition, you can lose weight and tighten your stomach, which is what almost every woman strives for. That is why you need to take note of the recipe for crumbly pearl barley porridge, which is very simple and unpretentious. According to traditional healers, a decoction of this cereal perfectly fights poisoning and various pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Modern medicine suggests eating pearl barley during the postoperative and rehabilitation period.

So, how to cook pearl barley correctly? There are two types of cereals, namely Dutch and classic. As for the Dutch, its grains are very smooth, thoroughly cleaned, they cook very quickly, resulting in a soft and tender porridge. However, classic pearl barley porridge takes much longer to prepare than all others, but it contains many useful components. The main condition for good pearl barley is time, a sufficient amount of liquid and soaking. As for soaking, the cereal is poured with warm water for eight hours. Then cook for about thirty minutes.

Milk porridge

How to cook crumbly pearl barley in water is described above, but you can use milk to prepare a tasty and nutritious breakfast. Before cooking, the cereal must be prepared - rinse thoroughly and soak in hot water for 40 minutes. After which it must be cooked until the liquid has completely evaporated, then you can add milk. In this case, for 1 glass of dry product you need 1.5 glasses of water and 2.5 glasses of milk.

Boil the porridge in milk for 30 minutes, after which you can add sugar and spices to taste. Instead of classic cooking on the stove, you can send the porridge after adding milk to the oven. With this method of preparation, the product acquires a pleasant creamy taste and delicate consistency.

How to cook pearl barley correctly

The method of preparation directly depends on the variety to which the purchased cereal belongs. Regardless of the time required for cooking, the readiness of the porridge is determined by the condition of the grains. When they become soft and swell, the dish can be served.

How to cook pearl barley in water in a saucepan

This is the simplest and most affordable way to prepare porridge. The recommended proportion is 200 grams of cereal per half liter of water. Cooking includes several stages:

Preparing dishes. The pan you choose should have thick walls that can provide even heating with minimal risk of burning;
Soak the cereal in water for several hours. It will swell, and as a result you will use less gas/electricity to cook it;
After the porridge is cooked, wrap the container with it in thick cloth for 30 minutes.

Pearl barley has exceptional heat capacity. Even after half an hour it will remain hot, so scattering it on plates you can add a piece of butter to the porridge, which will make it more nutritious and tasty.

How to cook pearl barley for fishing

Steamed pearl barley is an excellent bait used by fishermen who catch carp, carp, crucian carp and other types of fish. Only a very soft bait that can be prepared at home can interest the fish. Cereals with the largest and whitest grains, completely cleared of the grain shell, are suitable for fishing. If there are moths or other pests in the grain reserves, the fish will not be interested in such a “treat”. Cooking rules:

Do not use any spices or flavorings - they only repel prey. The only exception is ground sunflower seeds, honey and anise drops. Their smell will attract fish and help increase your catch.
Boil the pearl barley so that the grains increase in size as much as possible.
Pour one glass of pearl barley into a saucepan and fill it with five to six glasses of water.
Cover the container with a roof and start cooking.
As soon as it boils, reduce the heat intensity and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.
After cooking, the container with the finished porridge is removed. If there is still water left inside, you can cover the pan with a tight lid and wrap it with a thick cloth. Keep the porridge in this position for 6-8 hours - excess moisture will be absorbed into the grains, and the pearl barley will become quite voluminous.

The resulting product can be safely used as a complete fish bait. You can also prepare so-called “hedgehogs” using pearl barley. This is a kind of “fish dish”. The cooked pearl barley is separated from the remaining water and dried over low heat. Next, it is poured into a moisture-resistant plastic bag, and mixed inside with breadcrumbs, ground cookies and some additives.

The top of the bag is compressed, creating high pressure inside. Next, shake the bag vigorously for five minutes. After this, its contents are poured onto a paper sheet or cloth and sprinkled with breadcrumbs. When this bait gets into the water it leaves behind a trail of attractive turbidity.

How to cook pearl barley without soaking

If you need to cook porridge quickly without soaking it in water, you will need:

2 tbsp. cereals;
4.5 tbsp. boiled water;
salt and spices to taste;
vegetables or stewed meat as a filler.

The grains should be poured with boiling water and kept in this position for 10 minutes, after which the pan is placed on the fire. After cooking, stewed meat or vegetables to taste are added to the porridge.

How to cook crumbly pearl barley

To prevent the cereal from sticking together and turning into a sticky mush, a special cooking method is not required. It is enough to maintain the correct proportion - one glass of pearl barley per liter of water. With this ratio, the grains will not stick to each other.

How to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker

The process of preparing pearl barley porridge using this unit includes several stages:

Rinse it in water several times until it is clean, and then soak it for several hours.
Remove the water, transfer the cereal to the multicooker bowl, after greasing its inner surface with butter.
Add water equal to three times the volume of beans used.
Turn on the appliance in the “buckwheat” mode, cover the container and cook for 50-70 minutes.

During cooking, it is important that the pearl barley porridge does not “run away”. To prevent this from happening, you need to fill the multicooker bowl with the optimal amount of water and cereal.

Barley for pickle

The recipe for the popular soup with pickled cucumbers is also not complete without pearl barley. It is this that gives the pickle its thickness and unusual taste. The required amount of pearl barley must be washed in running water and soaked for 30 minutes. After that, the porridge needs to be cooked over low heat for 1 hour, then it is thrown into a colander.

The cereal prepared in this way should be added to the soup 10 minutes before the end of cooking. When you cook pearl barley in broth, the soup may turn blue, so it is recommended to cook it separately.

Cooking method

After preparing all the components, immediately begin cooking the dish. To do this, the processed cereal is placed in the container of the device, and then drinking water and sea salt are added to it. In this composition, barley is cooked in porridge mode for 50 minutes. If your multicooker does not have such a program, then you can use “Stewing”. However, in this case, the timer must be set 10 minutes longer.

After the pearl barley becomes soft, add previously fried vegetables to it, mix well and leave to heat.

Cooked porridge is ideal as a side dish for meat or sausages.