Barley porridge is a “lifesaver”. Such food is quickly prepared, benefits the body and gives a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Yachka can be prepared in different ways, and its taste will depend on this. Let's figure out how to cook barley porridge correctly. Useful life hacks that will help you be on top in any situation.
Barley porridge is perfect for both traditional and vegetarian meals.
How long does it take to cook couscous?
Cooking time – 5 minutes. Pour the couscous into a saucepan and pour hot water over it, preferably just boiling. Then cover the pan with a tight lid and let stand for 5-7 minutes. After this, gently beat the couscous with a fork until it becomes crumbly.
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What grains need to be washed before cooking?
To prepare rich and tasty porridge, almost all cereals, except for a few types, must be washed before cooking. It makes sense to rinse hard grains with water. Although modern technologies for packaging products comply with hygienic standards, it is better to play it safe.
Washing the grains is necessary to wash out:
- dust;
- foreign impurities;
- husks.
After cooking, the dish will look aesthetically pleasing, and this is an important point.
Need to wash before cooking:
- rice;
- buckwheat;
- millet;
- barley;
- all legumes (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, mung beans, etc.).
Rice, pearl barley and millet need to be rinsed in several waters.
Washing features
Millet, rice and peas are washed to remove flouriness. Thanks to this, during the cooking process they do not form foam on the surface and do not stick together.
For better cooking of peas, rice and pearl barley, it is recommended to soak them for several hours so that they swell well. After this, the cereals are washed again, filled with clean water and put on the fire to cook.
What should the water temperature be?
- It is advisable to rinse rice and millet only with cold water.
- Warm water is suitable for washing oatmeal, pearl barley and wheat cereals. Buckwheat also needs to be washed with warm water. This helps eliminate bitterness.
To better separate impurities, you can help with your hand, moving your palm in a circle in the water. After rinsing, the water in the container should be clear.
How to cook crumbly barley porridge
Are you used to seeing barley porridge as sticky and think that a crumbly side dish won’t work? You are wrong. Now we will tell you how to do this.
The first step is to rinse the cell and then dry it with a towel if possible. You can do this in the oven over low heat, placing the cereal on a baking sheet in a thin layer.
The second step is to turn on the frying pan and melt a small amount of butter or vegetable oil, but odorless. When the oil is hot enough, pour in the required amount of cereal in proportion. Fry over low heat, stirring constantly.
Remember that barley grains are small, so they will quickly absorb the oil. And so that they do not burn, you must continuously stir with a wooden spatula. And as soon as the cereal begins to brown, you need to move on to the next step. It is good to use a thick-walled cast iron frying pan for frying.
The third step is to add the required amount of liquid, stir and bring to a boil. Cook under the lid over low heat for 15-25 minutes (guide by the readiness of the grains). After this, let the porridge brew. Your crumbly side dish is ready. This porridge goes well with vegetable gravy, meat, poultry, mushrooms and cream sauce.
How long to cook barley porridge
The duration of cooking the egg depends on the size of the grains. If they are the smallest, then 15 minutes is usually enough. For large grains it will take about half an hour.
To make the porridge ready 2 times faster, use a simple trick - soak the porridge for 1 hour in advance.
After the porridge is cooked, do not rush to taste it. Cover with a lid so that the grains are saturated with steam and the finished dish has an excellent taste. You can also wrap the cauldron in a towel (a kind of greenhouse effect). The steam impregnation process usually takes 10-15 minutes. Before serving, the dish can be seasoned with cream or butter. This will make the porridge more aromatic, tender and tasty.
Fats present in cream or butter will help absorb nutrients from barley porridge.
However, keep in mind that immediately after adding animal fats, the calorie content of the finished dish increases. Therefore, if your goal is to lose weight, then try not to add anything other than vegetables to the finished side dish.
Barley porridge in a slow cooker
Porridge in a slow cooker turns out almost the same as in a Russian oven. And it's all about the principle of operation of this device. First, the multicooker brings to a boil, and then maintains the simmering mode. As soon as all the liquid has evaporated, the device automatically adjusts to the heating function. As a result, you get the perfect porridge with an amazing taste, where each grain is separated from each other.
The sequence of actions for preparing barley in a slow cooker should look like this:
- take the required amount of ingredients (1 part cereal and 2 parts water or vegetable/meat broth);
- add salt to taste;
- select the “Porridge” mode;
- wait for the message about readiness and enjoy the unique aroma and taste of healthy barley porridge.
If desired, after cooking, you can add various additives - sweet or salty, depending on your preferences.
Barley porridge with minced chicken and mushrooms
Compound:
- barley groats – 150 g;
- water – 0.6 l;
- minced chicken – 0.2 kg;
- fresh champignons – 0.2 kg;
- onions – 100 g;
- refined vegetable oil - how much will be needed;
- salt, seasonings - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Peel the onion, chop finely, fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
- Add the minced meat to the onion, salt and pepper it. Fry until the minced meat turns white.
- Add mushrooms cut into small pieces. Cook until almost all the liquid released from the champignons has evaporated.
- Add prepared cereal and water. Cook the porridge for about 20 minutes until it becomes thick enough.
Before serving the dish, it doesn’t hurt to sprinkle it with fresh herbs, finely chopped with a knife.
Adviсe
After preparing the porridge, you need to leave it alone for a while. It will become softer and the taste more intense.
Sautéed vegetables go well with it: onions, carrots, peppers (hot and bell peppers), celery (stems and roots). It also goes well with chopped herbs - dill, parsley, cilantro. Dry ginger, turmeric, allspice, and cloves can be added to yachka dishes. They will give a more spicy and refined taste.
It is best to cook this cereal in a container with a thick bottom, as it cooks for quite a long time. You need to pour the cereal into boiling water, in this case lumps will not form.
Even Avicenna recognized the body-cleansing properties of barley porridge. If there is no individual intolerance or acute gastrointestinal diseases, there is absolutely no harm from it, and if you eat this porridge a couple of times a week, your body will thank you very much.
Barley porridge with milk
Cooking yachka porridge with milk is not an easy process. If you add milk right away, you will most likely not get a good result. To make milk porridge tasty, we recommend adhering to the following rules:
- cook the porridge in water, observing the correct ratio of ingredients;
- add milk taking into account the desired consistency of the finished dish;
- Bring the finished porridge with milk to a boil and turn off.
Cooking according to this recipe is convenient and will allow you to preserve the maximum of nutrients contained in barley groats. And besides, it will help to avoid the milk porridge from sticking to the pan.
Proportions for cooking barley porridge
Before we talk about the ratio of cereals and liquid, let's reveal the secrets of cooking this porridge.
Barley has small grains that can easily burn if you use the wrong container. To cook barley porridge perfectly, take a cauldron. It’s great if you have an old cast-iron cauldron that you inherited from your grandmother. But if this is not the case, do not despair. A saucepan with a thick bottom will do.
Choose barley from trusted manufacturers! Cheap options may contain small pebbles and debris generated during processing. Agro-Alliance cereals are premium quality selected grains.
It is advisable to rinse the cell before cooking. Use a sieve and running water for this. Usually 4-5 washes are enough.
Some cooks advise soaking barley before cooking for 15-30 minutes (up to 1 hour). It is believed that this preparatory step activates the enzyme phytase. And the point of application of this enzyme is phytic acid. This acid can interfere with the absorption of some minerals and protein. Therefore, if you have free time, soak the cell in water, and before cooking, drain the liquid and rinse. This way you will get the maximum benefit from such affordable barley.
Be sure to decide before starting cooking what consistency you want the porridge to be. The classic version of barley porridge involves maintaining a proportion of 1:2 - 1:2.5. In other words, for every 100 grams of cereal you need to take 200-250 ml of liquid. To cook barley porridge, you can use water, broth or milk. If you want liquid porridge, then take 3 times more liquid.
The less grains in the finished dish and, accordingly, the more water, the less caloric it will be. This option is perfect for those people who want to lose weight in order to always stay in shape.
A simple way to cook eggs
You will need:
- barley grits – 1 cup,
- water – 2.5 cups,
- butter – 1 tablespoon,
- salt – 0.5 teaspoon.
Cooking method
- Place the washed cereal in boiling water.
- Add some salt. Cook for a quarter of an hour over moderate heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add butter. Mix.
- Place the container with barley porridge in an oven preheated to 180 degrees.
- You can try it in half an hour!
Barley porridge with pumpkin and meat
Compound:
- barley groats – 150 g;
- pork or beef pulp – 0.3 kg;
- water – 0.5 l;
- carrots – 100 g;
- onions – 100 g;
- pumpkin pulp – 0.2 kg;
- salt, spices - to taste;
- refined vegetable oil – 50 ml.
Cooking method:
- Wash the meat, cut it into small cubes.
- Scrub the carrots, wash, dry with a napkin, and grate coarsely.
- Remove the skins from the onion and cut it into small cubes.
- Peel the pumpkin by removing the pulp and seeds. Cut the vegetable into small cubes - about the same size as meat.
- Pour oil into the bottom of a cauldron or thick-bottomed pan, place onions and carrots in it. Fry them until golden brown.
- Add meat and spices. Fry the meat until it is browned on all sides.
- Add pumpkin pieces, add 100 ml of water. Reduce heat and simmer meat and vegetables for 15 minutes.
- After washing the barley, lightly fry it in a dry frying pan and pour it into the pan with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add salt, add 0.4 liters of water.
- Cook the porridge for 20 minutes, stirring it occasionally.
- After removing the pan of porridge from the heat, cover it and leave for 20-30 minutes.
Barley porridge, cooked with meat and vegetables, is a complete dish that can compete with pilaf. Pumpkin in the dish can be replaced with zucchini - it will also turn out delicious.
Barley porridge on water
Remember that cereal greatly increases in volume when cooked (almost 3 times). Therefore, take a container of sufficient size. Sort the cell (if necessary), rinse several times under running water using a sieve. Then pour into a cauldron or thick-walled pan, pour in water and add a little salt.
You should take at least 2 times more water than cereal. And if you want a fairly liquid porridge, then the proportion increases 3 times (1 part barley groats and 3 parts water).
Place the container on the stove, turn on high heat and bring to a boil. After this, reduce the heat to low and cook under the lid until tender (15-30 minutes depending on the grinding). Let the porridge brew. At this stage, you can use a variety of toppings.
- If you want sweet porridge, then add dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, prunes), fresh fruits and berries, nuts, seeds. These ingredients will also swell when exposed to steam. Honey, sugar or sweeteners can be added just before serving.
For sweet and dietary barley porridge cooked in water, you can use the natural sweetener stevia. One serving, which replaces approximately 1 teaspoon of sugar, contains only 2 kcal.
- If you want the porridge to have a classic creamy flavor, then add a piece of butter or cream of different fat content. After this, let it sit for a few minutes so that each grain is saturated with aroma.
You can add greaves to barley porridge - these are finely chopped pieces of lard that have been simmered over low heat. This option goes well with pickles.
- If you want army-style porridge, then after cooking, add the stew and mix thoroughly.
