Features of cooking pearl barley with soaking

Barley is a useful product that is a grain size of 5-7 mm.Undergoes initial processing, in which the husks are removed. The etymology of the name originates from the word "pearl", which means pearls, which resemble pearl-barley grains. For a long time in Russia, this cereal was loved, with pleasure by the kings (Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great), merchants, boyars and commoners.

This product contains a huge amount of extremely useful Omega-3 fatty acid, which is commonly found in the salmon family. There are many trace elements and vitamins of group "B". Also there is fiber, carbohydrates, amino acids. This cereal is also remarkable in that it effectively removes a huge amount of toxins from the body, normalizes cholesterol levels, and is an excellent dietary dish.

When purchasing barley is recommended first of all to pay attention to the color of the grains. If it is too dark, there are blotches on the sides, then this indicates a poor-quality product. It is also very important that the grains are crumbly. It is bad if they stick together; most likely, the croup in this case was stored for a long time in violation of the standards, in conditions of high humidity.

It is also very important that the barley is odorless. The presence of an unpleasant smell suggests that it is better to refrain from buying this product. Barley can be stored no more than 12 months, then it will be most reasonable to throw it away. The technology of preparing barley dishes is available even to a student, there is nothing complicated here. It is only important to comply with all technological requirements and monitor the water level in the tank so that the porridge does not burn.

Barley porridge takes the first places in the presence of protein compounds in it, as well as gluten. When preparing a product, the most important thing is to pay attention to the consistent observance of all technological operations - this will be the main guarantee that the beneficial trace elements will not evaporate. Before pouring the grain into the container, you should check the expiration date, then spread them out on a flat surface and carefully inspect.

Grain must be solid, without chipping. There should also be no sand or small pebbles. Soaking is necessary, and the grain structure is porous, so it actively absorbs moisture in a short period of time.

Barley should be soaked in water and left overnight. The soaking process takes from 6 to 10 hours. On one person for cooking porridge enough glass barley. In the capacity you need to add 3-4 cups of warm water. After the time the water from the pan is removed, the product is washed in a colander.

There is a common practice, when pearl barley grains are soaked in dairy products (milk, kefir, yogurt), the taste then becomes more original and pleasant.

Barley grains actively absorb moisture, significantly increasing in size. This is the main reason why barley turns out so juicy and soft. Boil the product should be in the mode of "languor", that is, at a minimum of fire. In this case, the entire contents of the pan slowly but surely “fits”, the useful elements do not evaporate and “do not burn out”.

Barley is often reported in the first courses. For soup, soak the cereal is not necessary. It is recommended to cook separately percent at 70-80. After the vegetables are put into the soup, it is permissible to fall asleep to the barley. Then the tank is placed on a small fire and languishes for another hour. You should also put seasonings, salt and hops-suneli.

Having finished the soaking procedure, the cereal is poured with water and put on the stove. It is worth remembering that barley, packaged in small bags, cooked no more than an hour. Unpacked cereals are prepared by this method:

• the container with the product is filled with water;
• should wait until the grain will increase by 3-4 times;
• the product is poured into a colander and washed under high pressure of water;
• saucepan filled with boiling water;
• on the minimum fire porridge cooks until fully cooked;
• during the cooking process you can put a small piece of butter.

The best way to prepare barley:

• 1 glass of barley has at least 5 glasses of water;
• wait until the water boils in the pan, the product is cooked no more than 1 hour;
• water is drained through a colander, sunflower or butter is added;
• content defended 10-15 minutes and served on the table.

With this method of cooking is best to use a slow cooker. The product is poured into a special container and filled with water (the height of the water level is not more than 2 cm). Then add spices, salt, pan is placed on the stove. Preparation takes 45-60 minutes.

If the barley is boiled in a slow cooker, then the mode “Grecha” is set on it. It is important to remember that the packaged barley has passed all stages of pre-processing, so it is not necessary to soak it.

For cooking in a slow cooker, you need:

• rinse well with cereal;
• soak the product in deep containers;
• process the bottom of the multicooker bowl with grease or oil;
• the grain is filled up, water or milk is poured into the container;
• set the mode "Buckwheat";
• cooking time takes no more than an hour;
• in the process of cooking should pay attention to the grain, they should be swollen and whole;
• It is also recommended to make sure that the water level remains acceptable.

After the heat treatment is completed, the multicooker is switched to the “Preheating” mode. It persists for 7-11 minutes. Such a procedure is important, so porridge will absorb additional moisture and will drop the temperature a little, which will make it more juicy and crumbly.

One of the most common methods is the preparation of barley in a clay pot. Clay is one of the most ancient materials; ancient Sumerians, Greeks and Egyptians prepared dishes in clay pots. Ceramics has not lost its relevance in our days. Products in pottery are baked perfectly.

First, in boiling water, grits are boiled for about 20 minutes, then the contents of the pan are drained and the barley is poured into a pot. Spices and seasonings are added. You can also put diced meat (pork or beef). Capacity covered and placed in the oven, turn on a small fire. The dish stews to full readiness, that is, from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. It is also good to cook such a dish in a cast iron pot in a cauldron with massive walls. The advantage of such cooking is that the product is perfectly baked, absorbing the flavor of spices as much as possible.

It is also popular to preserve barley with meat for the winter. This is done very simply. Liter cans are pretreated with boiling water. Preparing porridge. Then a jar is placed in a large pot of hot water and a ready-made hot dish is put into it. The jar rolls over the lid. Such a product can be safely stored until mid-winter, sometimes until March.

Boil the barley in a slow cooker or microwave after soaking - this is one of the most popular and proper methods of cooking the product.

200 grams of cereal is added to the pan, water is poured. 400 watts of power is enough for croup to be cooked in 30 minutes. If the product is already packaged, then 12-18 minutes is enough.

You can also cook the product in other units, for example, a double boiler:

• barley is washed;
• a saucepan filled with water, settles for 4-6 hours;
• then the contents are again washed with running water;
• cooked to full readiness no more than an hour.

Cooking is a creative process, here you can only give a "frame" recipe. Often, pearl barley is prepared in rice cooker. Manipulations are carried out the same as in the preparation of the product in a double boiler. During cooking in the rice cooker, the device is set to the “Cooking” mode. It takes about 50-60 minutes to complete.

You can also give advice on how to speed up the preparation of the product. To do this, boil the water, pour the cereal into it, wait 5 minutes, drain the entire contents through a colander. Then it is recommended to repeat the whole cycle, the grits will then cook much faster.

How to cook barley, see the following video.