How to cook pearl barley porridge: recipes for barley with water, milk, and meat

Pearl barley porridge is often called “man’s rice.” It was and remains the most common dish in the soldiers' diet. Its advantages include high nutritional value and low price. But few people consider the organoleptic qualities of barley to be outstanding. Housewives add it to pickle soup, farmers use it as feed for poultry and animals, and fishermen boil it to use as fish bait. But few people cook it as a main course or side dish at home. Modern housewives may be surprised by the fact that even imperial persons did not disdain pearl barley, and Peter the Great even had it as one of his favorite foods. The problem is that many cooks do not know how to cook pearl barley porridge correctly, or they violate the classical technology in order to save time. If you follow the established rules for preparing this dish, the result will pleasantly surprise you.

Classic recipe for pearl barley porridge with water in the oven

Cooking time 1 hour + soaking the cereal, calorie content 38 kcal.

Ingredients for 2 servings

• Pearl barley 1 cup.
• Sugar 1 tsp. lie
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon lie
• Butter 1 table. lie

Preparation:

1. We sort out the cereal, rinse it under running water, fill it with cold water in a bowl, and leave it to soak for 11-12 hours.
2. Drain the water, rinse it again, transfer it to a cast iron cauldron or thick-walled pan, and fill it again with water at the rate of 1 cup. swollen cereal, 1.5 cups. liquids
3. Turn on the heat to maximum, bring to a boil, add salt, sugar and butter.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover loosely with lid and cook for 50 minutes.
5. Remove from the stove, add 1/2 cup. boiling water, cover tightly with a lid
6. Place in the oven at 130 degrees. for 20 min.
7. Remove from the oven, wrap tightly with a towel and leave to simmer for 1 hour.
8. Serve with a piece of butter or add a little hot milk

Milk porridge from pearl barley in a water bath (according to V. Pokhlebkin)

Compound:

• pearl barley – 0.23 kg;
• water (for soaking cereals) – 1 l;
• milk – 2 l;
• salt, sugar, butter - to taste.

Cooking method:

• Rinse the barley until clean.
• Pour a liter of water over the cereal and leave overnight (10-12 hours).
• Drain the water, rinse the cereal again, put it in a saucepan with a capacity of about 3-3.5 liters.
• Heat the milk to about 40 degrees, pour it over the barley.
• Place the pan over low heat. Bring the milk to a boil. Cook the porridge, stirring and making sure it does not run away, for 5 minutes. Add sugar and a pinch of salt.
• Place the pot of porridge in a large saucepan filled with warm water. Continue cooking the porridge in a water bath for 5-6 hours. It is not necessary to stir it at this time - it will not burn anyway.
• Remove the porridge from the water bath, add oil to it, stir.

Having tried pearl barley porridge prepared according to this recipe, you will almost certainly understand why Peter I loved it.

Barley porridge with milk without soaking the cereal

• Bring pre-washed 100 g of pearl barley to a boil and add 5 cups of salted water to taste
• Cover and cook for 1 hour over low heat until all the water has evaporated, or drain it if it remains after the cereal swells.
• Pour 3 cups of milk, preferably 1% fat, and add 1/4 cup of sugar.
• Cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the porridge is ready
• Then add cinnamon or raisins if desired and to taste.

How to cook porridge in bags

Pearl barley porridge, packaged in bags for cooking, is convenient in the cooking process, but such cereals do not differ in grain processing, which means that the cooking time remains as long as in previous cases.

Ingredients

To prepare the dish you need the following ingredients.

Step-by-step cooking process

Prepare porridge following the recipe:

1. Pour drinking water into the pan, cover with a lid and place on high heat.
2. As soon as the water in the pan boils, place bags of cereal into it.
3. Salt the water to your taste.
4. Reduce the heat to low, remove the lid and cook for 50 minutes. The convenience of this method is that the porridge does not need to be stirred regularly.
5. As soon as the porridge is cooked, remove the bag from the pan using a fork, place it in a colander and leave to drain excess liquid.

6. The bags are cut or torn along the indicated line and the finished porridge is placed on a plate.
7. If desired, add butter and stir.

Recipe for making barley porridge in a slow cooker

• Wash a glass of pearl barley thoroughly
• Fill with 1 liter of cold water and set for 12 hours to swell
• Wash the pearl barley again and transfer it to the multicooker bowl.
• Add 1 liter of boiled milk 1% fat, salt and sugar to taste
• Select the “quenching” mode for 3 - 4 hours
• When finished, set the “heating” mode for the same time.
• Add butter to the prepared porridge, mix well

Subtleties of cooking

According to culinary theorist William Pokhlebkin, the question of how to cook pearl barley porridge is extremely simple. But it takes a lot of time, although most of it is cooked by the cereal itself, without any participation of the hostess. To cook pearl barley deliciously, you should take into account several of its features.

• Always soak your grains. Without soaking, it turns out dense, too hard, and does not boil down. It is better to leave it in water all night - up to 12 hours, while pouring a glass of pearl barley with a liter of cold water.
• Use proportions based on desired consistency. If you need crumbly porridge, take 2.5 cups of water per cup of soaked cereal. It will become liquid by adding four glasses of water.
• Keep the time. The classic recipe requires long-term boiling of the product, up to 6 hours. It seems that in modern conditions this is impossible, so housewives found their answer to the question of how long to cook pearl barley porridge. For pre-soaked kernels, boiling for 45 minutes is enough to bring them to readiness.
• Leave the porridge to “rest”. After turning off the heat, place the covered pan in a warm place. You can wrap her in a blanket. The longer the dish simmers, the more delicious the pearl barley porridge will be. It will be ideal with pearl-colored kernels that do not crunch on the teeth, but crumble in the mouth.
• Cook it on the stove or in the oven. Pearl barley is one of the few grains that cannot be cooked in the microwave. But in the oven it turns out perfect. On the stove it can be cooked over an open fire or according to the classic recipe - in a water bath.
• Season the cereal with butter. It is considered the best accompaniment for a barley side dish, imbuing it with a delicate, creamy taste.

If cooked incorrectly, the cereal hardens and the kernels turn into “bullets.” This happens because during the boiling process, the protein-rich “filling” coagulates, similar to legumes. To prevent this, the porridge should be cooked exclusively over low heat or in a water bath.

How to cook pearl barley porridge with stewed meat

To experience the full aroma and taste of this porridge, of course it is better to cook it outdoors, but it can also be done well at home.

• Soak one and a half cups of pearl barley for 4 hours, so it cooks faster
• We put the pan on the fire and put the fat from the stew into it
• Lightly fry 2 finely chopped onions
• Lay out the soaked cereal, 2 cans of stew, mix everything
• Fill with salted water so that it covers the cereal
• Cover and cook for about 40 minutes until the cereal is tender
• You can add water if necessary

Video about the benefits of pearl barley

Famous nutritionists and doctors strongly recommend introducing healthy and simple porridge into your diet:

Irina Polyanitsa My name is Irina, I am the owner and admin of the site, as well as the author of most of the recipes and articles. I love to cook simple and healthy delicacies. Certified gym instructor, personal trainer. She completed a course on nutrition and health at Stanford University, Stanford Introduction to Food and Health, as well as a course at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy (about nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy).

Cooking pearl barley porridge with meat in a saucepan

• Wash and soak 400 gr. cereals in cold water for 3 hours
• 300 gr. Set the meat on the bone to cook, add salt to taste first
• After the meat is cooked, separate it from the bones; do not pour out the resulting broth.
• Finely chop three onions
• Chop one carrot and put everything in a deep pan
• Add the meat to the vegetables, then the swollen barley
• Add meat broth and cook for 40 minutes

Delicious gravy for pearl barley porridge

Pearl barley porridge is a healthy dish, without which it is difficult to imagine a children's and balanced menu. Pearl barley has a rather distinctive taste, but with the help of simple additives it can be made very tasty. The easiest way to improve its taste is to add different sauces. Delicious gravy for pearl barley porridge - a fragrant dressing that will make it more juicy and tender.

There are a wide variety of recipes for preparing gravy for barley: with meat, vegetable and mushroom broths, thick with flour, tomato and milk. Depending on the cooking method, the sauce for porridge can be served separately or used for cooking cereals. Although there are many different sauces and dressings, most use one basic recipe. If desired, you can add or change products, getting a completely different, new taste.

How to cook pearl barley porridge for those who want to lose weight

The condition for dietary porridge is that it is boiled in water without salt or butter.

A simple diet takes 2-3 days, and you need to drink plain water, green tea, and before bed you can drink low-fat kefir.

In the future, you can diversify the menu by adding steamed dried fruits, fish, lean meat, low-fat cottage cheese, and vegetable salads. Be sure to drink at least 2 liters of water per day.

Recipe: Pearl barley porridge with gravy. Calorie, chemical composition and nutritional value.

Nutritional value and chemical composition of “Barley porridge with gravy.”

The table shows the nutritional content (calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) per 100 grams of edible portion.

The energy value of pearl barley porridge with gravy is 119.5 kcal.

Primary Source: Created in the application by the user. Read more.

** This table shows the average levels of vitamins and minerals for an adult. If you want to know the norms taking into account your gender, age and other factors, then use the “My Healthy Diet” application.

How to cook delicious pearl barley

Let's summarize everything said above into a rule for how barley is cooked.

1. The fact that this cereal is very healthy is beyond doubt, but it takes a long time to prepare
2. Before preparing porridge, soak the cereal in cold water for several hours.
3. While soaking, be sure to rinse it several times.
4. To obtain crumbly porridge, boil 1 cup of cereal in 1 liter of water
5. Don’t skimp on butter in this porridge, this is exactly the case when “You can’t spoil porridge with butter”
6. When the cereal is ready, it is advisable to leave the porridge on low heat or simmer in a water bath
7. Barley can be used in soups, as a side dish for meat and fish dishes, and in cooking porridge.
8. Porridge can be prepared with meat, chicken, vegetables, milk, mushrooms and even fruits, there are many additives

Modern recipes

But if time is too limited, and you plan to cook barley porridge for dinner, the recipe can be adapted to modern realities. We offer you techniques for preparing a crumbly side dish with water, dishes with onion dressing and mushrooms.

On the water

Cooking pearl barley porridge in water will work quickly and with decent results if you soak it overnight. If you forgot to do this, try the following cooking technique. Boil the washed cereal for 3 minutes in boiling water, then drain the water. Then pour fresh, cold and boil over low heat for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat, cover for 30 minutes.

The taste of the cereal will not fully develop without soaking, but for quick results this method has the right to life. To get a better taste, use this recipe.

You will need:

• pearl barley - 1 cup;
• water for soaking - 1 l;
• water for boiling - 3 cups;
• salt, butter.

Preparation

1. Soak the pearl barley for 12 hours.
2. Rinse, cover with cold water, and put on fire.
3. Let the water boil over high heat, reduce it, and cook for 60 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, cover with a blanket, and leave for 30 minutes.

This barley porridge recipe will be a universal side dish for meat and vegetable dishes. In order for the kernels to boil as much as possible, let the cereal rest in the blanket for as long as possible.

With lard and onions

Try cooking pearl barley in the oven using this recipe. If you don’t like lard as a dressing, use pre-fried pieces of meat with onions. The dish is prepared in a pot, and you can serve it on the table in it.

You will need:

• pearl barley - 2 cups;
• water for soaking - 2 l;
• water for cooking - 1 l;
• onion - 1 large head;
• lard - 200 g;
• salt - a pinch.

Preparation

1. Peel and chop the onion, cut the lard into pieces.
2. Place lard and onions in a pot.
3. Place the prepared pearl barley on top.
4. Pour boiling water, add salt.
5. Place the pot in the oven preheated to 180°. Wait 1 hour.
6. Turn off the oven, do not open it. Leave the pot in it for 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and cover with a blanket for 30 minutes.
8. Stir the contents of the pot before serving.

It is important to remove the container from the oven in time so that the cereal does not dry out. When ready in the blanket, it will retain its juiciness and become soft and tender.

With mushrooms

The dish is lean, vegetarian. But that doesn’t make it any less tasty! Barley goes well with mushrooms and onions. And it's easy to prepare.

You will need:

• pearl barley - 1 cup;
• mushrooms (champignons) - 300 g;
• onion - 2 large heads;
• water - 400 ml;
• salt - a pinch;
• black pepper - 1/3 teaspoon;
• greenery.

Preparation

1. Peel and chop the onion. Wash the champignons and cut them.
2. Fry the onion, add mushrooms, simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Place the prepared cereal in a frying pan with the onion and mushroom mixture, pour in heated water. Add salt and pepper.
4. Simmer covered for 60 minutes. Check for doneness by checking the softness of the cereal.
5. Season with herbs.

The dish should be cooked over very low heat, so the pearl barley will not “curl”. This recipe can be used to prepare other cereals, for example, buckwheat and rice.

Now you know how to cook barley porridge. We hope your new acquaintance with her will be successful. And this valuable cereal, rich in nutrients, will take its rightful place on your table.

Barley - contraindications

There are a number of restrictions when consuming pearl barley dishes, and people with high stomach acidity, constipation, pregnancy, and digestive dysfunction should be careful about eating it.

I think, nevertheless, that pearl barley porridge deserves all the expenses that are necessary for its preparation, because it is very filling, at the same time allows you to lose weight, and contains the vitamins and microelements necessary for a person.

Cook it and pearl barley porridge will not disappoint you.

Author of the publication

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Barley: healthy, tasty and inexpensive

The cost of this cereal is so low that it will fit into the budget of any family!

The benefits are enormous:

• indispensable for constipation, as it perfectly cleanses and stimulates the intestines;
• it relieves inflammation of the mucous membranes of the digestive organs;
• reduces the level of “bad” cholesterol;
• thanks to the high content of vitamins A, E, B, which are preserved even after cooking, strengthens the immune system;
• promotes the destruction of stones and other deposits in the ducts of internal organs;
• improves cerebral circulation and has an antioxidant effect; replenishes iron and amino acid levels.

Barley is often boiled in broth; even rich, strong bone broth is suitable. Mushroom and vegetable broths are also good. But these methods of preparing pearl barley porridge are far from the norms of proper nutrition, and if used frequently, they at least harm the figure.

Cooking with milk is a little more healthy, but also not suitable for those who are watching their weight and following a diet with a minimum content of animal fats. For children, pearl barley with milk is ideal.

The best option for preparing this cereal for those who adhere to proper nutrition standards is boiling in water . And if you know how to properly cook pearl barley porridge in water, the proportions, and some subtleties, then preparing a hearty breakfast or lunch is as easy as shelling pears. But then you can add anything you like to this side dish: chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, fish, dried fruits or fresh fruits.

Universal sauce for pearl barley porridge

Cooking time : 30 minutes Number of servings : 4 Ingredients :

• Onion - 1 pc.
• Garlic - 1-2 cloves
• Carrots - 1 pc.
• Tomato - 50 g
• Parsley - 3 sprigs
• Spices - to taste
• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l.
• Salt - a pinch

Preparation:

1. Peel the onion and cut into small cubes or rings. If desired, you can take leek - the white part of the stem. This will make the taste of the dressing more delicate and soft - perfect for baby porridge.
2. Pour some vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat it up. Fry the onion until light golden brown.
3. Peel the carrots, cut into bars or grate.
4. Add the carrots to the onions, stir and fry for a few more minutes under the lid.
5. Dilute the tomato with a small amount of cold water and pour into the vegetables. You can use fresh tomatoes - grate them or chop them in a blender.
6. Peel a few cloves of garlic and chop into very small pieces, chop fresh herbs as finely as possible.
7. When the mixture in the pan boils, you need to reduce the heat, add garlic, parsley, salt and spices to taste. Mix the dressing well, bring to a boil and remove from the stove.
8. The tasty and aromatic gravy for barley is ready. It can be used immediately while it is still hot.