How to cook barley porridge on the water?

Not every modern man knows what barley is. It is practically not found in the menu of catering establishments, on culinary sites and programs.Even if you decide to buy it, you will have to make an effort, because it is not in every store. The low popularity of this product is due to several reasons. In the older generation, yachka is associated with times of food shortages.

Young people for the most part know nothing about it. She is often confused with barley. The cleaned and crushed kernel of barley is called barley grits, and the whole and additionally polished - by barley. It is this manufacturing process that gives a number of advantages, which we will discuss below.

So, due to the fact that the grains do not undergo grinding, there is more fiber in them. Dietary fiber contributes to good intestinal function, and therefore cleansing the body and eliminating undigested residues and toxins. In addition, porridge made from barley cereals, there are lots of other positive aspects.

• It provides a lasting feeling of satiety. Vegetable protein, the proportion of which ranges from 10 to 12%, is absorbed better than animal protein. In addition to protein, it contains up to 60% carbohydrates and about 2% fat, so this product can be included in the menu of people with diabetes and obesity. Calorie porridge, boiled in water, is 80 kcal per 100 g. If you cook it with milk -110 kcal. Such indicators of nutritional value will appeal to people engaged in physical labor or sports.
• The benefits of the product are proven to be high in various macronutrients. It contains iron, phosphorus, iodine, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, copper, manganese. Vitamins of group B, E, PP contribute to the promotion of human health.
• From ancient times known health properties of cereals. When preparing it, mucus is formed. This broth is shown to people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Included anti-inflammatory substances to help cope with the common cold and cough. Liquid porridge will be useful in the period of recovery from debilitating diseases, will give strength.
• A number of amino acids allows the body to restore hormones, regenerate nerve cells and tissueand, therefore, it just needs to be used by people of different ages, especially older ones.

However, the measure is important in everything. When exacerbating diseases of the stomach and intestines, care must be taken. Completely exclude its use in case of gluten intolerance, since by its content the yachka is only slightly inferior to wheat. If after using your state of health has deteriorated - consult with your doctor.

We all make a choice in favor of a product, guided by several criteria at once.

First, we look at the size. As mentioned above, barley grain is less than barley. After cleansing the husk and subsequent crushing in the production process, nucleoli of different sizes are obtained. After which they are sorted, where they are cleared of debris and are divided into large and small. Most often on the package you can find the markings 1, 2 or 3. These numbers indicate the size of cereals. You can often find barley flakes, which also vary in size of grinding.

Secondly, it is necessary to evaluate the type of product. Normally, the color should be white-yellow. In addition, the presence in the total mass of a large number of foreign grains and other debris indicates a low quality. In such croup, even small pebbles can be found and teeth can be damaged. Be careful!

Thirdly, give preference to cardboard packs. During storage, all grain products emit some moisture, even if they are well dried, and cellophane contributes to its accumulation and the development of mold. That is why do not use these products after the expiration date.

Depending on preferences, the planned consistency may be different.

• It can be crumbly. This type is mainly used not as a separate dish, but as a side dish. In order to keep the shape of the cooked dish on a plate, use 1: 2 aspect ratio when cooking. Take one cup of barley grits and two glasses of water.
• Viscous. For its preparation, proportions of 1: 3 are needed.
• Liquid. In this case, you need to take 4 cups of water. Children prefer to eat such porridge.

If you do not use measuring dishes, water can be poured over the eye so that its level exceeds the level of cereal not less than two centimeters. Porridge cooks 15-25 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid. In addition, you should understand that the more grits are cooked - the more it will boil soft and lose its shape. It is important to monitor the degree of heating. When the cereal is boiled for a long time - the power of the burner, after boiling, it is necessary to reduce to a minimum.

In addition to water, porridge is often boiled in milk. The creamy taste is more familiar and more popular. The ratio of milk and cereal is almost the same as in the case of cooking in water. However, if you take high-fat milk, it may take a little more, or the porridge will be thicker than desired.

In addition to the usual porridge, it is often required to prepare a decoction. Everything is simple here. 100 grams of barley grits are added to a liter of water. If the broth should be stronger - just increase the proportion of grain or reduce the amount of water. When for treatment you need quite a bit of decoction - a tablespoon will be enough for a glass.

Let's start with the simplest recipe for porridge on water.

1. Take a glass of cereal. Choose garbage from it and rinse it in a colander under running water several times.
2. Boil three glasses of water in a saucepan. Add half a teaspoon of salt and sugar to taste in water. Take the dishes with the expectation that the grains will increase in size during cooking.
3. In the boiling water, add the washed cereal. After boiling, reduce the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes until cooked. Periodically, the mass must be stirred so that it does not burn.
4. Add butter or vegetable oil to taste. So that the barley porridge does not boil dry completely, it can be removed from the heat a little earlier and put in the preheated, but turned off, oven to cook until ready. Instead of an oven, a saucepan can be wrapped in a blanket and left for half an hour.

Milk porridge cooked the same way. So that it is not dry - it is kept on slow fire until the moment when it starts to boil soft.

A great alternative would be porridge with vegetables. To do this, you can use any seasonal vegetables, combined with each other and mushrooms. Prepare completely easy.

• Pour vegetable oil on the bottom of the saucepan, heat it.
• Cut the onion into small pieces and begin to sauté until it is transparent. At this time, rub the carrot into a large grater and add to the onion for frying.
• Cut forest boiled mushrooms or champignons and send them to roast for 7 minutes, stirring continuously.
• Add washed barley grits, add water. Salt it. Simmer for 20 minutes more. Lean and nourishing meal is ready. Vegetables and mushrooms, you can not fry - just lay with grits in the pan, pour water and simmer a little longer, until ready.

A more substantial dish, suitable for lunch or dinner, will be porridge with minced meat. To prepare it, you need to step through several steps.

1. 200-300 g of minced or minced meat lay on the bottom of a deep frying pan or any other dishes with thick walls. Fill with a small amount of water, simmer for about 10 minutes. For taste, you can crumble a small onion.
2. To the meat, add about a glass of cereal and add water to a half or two cm. Above the level of cereal.
3. Add salt, pepper and other spices as desired.
4. Once the water has disappeared from the surface, turn off and put the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. When serving, decorate with greens or fresh vegetables.

For variety, you can make a casserole with barley, meat and pumpkin. Such a dish will be not only delicious, but also bright. For this will need different ingredients.

• 400 g of chicken, pork or any other meat cut into plates and marinate. For the marinade, you can use salt, pepper, tomato juice or ketchup diluted with water.
• One large onion cut into half rings.
• 300 gr. pumpkin without peel and cut the average carrot into strips.
• Lubricate the form and lay out layers: meat, onions, carrots and pumpkin. Vegetables are distributed evenly over the entire area of ​​the baking dish.
• With a final layer of about 1 cm, we pour the cereal and smooth it. For pouring, you can use meat broth or tomato juice, beforehand dissolving salt in it. Fill should cover the grain somewhere in the 1 cm. Laying layers, note that barley grits swell a little and the height will increase.
• Put the form in the oven preheated to 180 degrees for 30 minutes (depends on the meat). Then add butter on top and bake for 15 or 20 minutes.

Learn more about how to cook barley porridge, you will learn from the following video.