Pearl Barley with Mushrooms
Canteens gave pearl barley its bad name by boiling it straight from the packet, which is exactly how it turns slimy. A night in cold water changes everything: the grain swells, cooks in half the time and stays separate. The mushrooms are fried apart over high heat, because in the pot with the grain they only weep.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 h
- Rest
- 8 h
- Total
- 9 h 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 310 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 4 bowls
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Soak the barley
The evening before, cover the grain with cold water by a good three centimetres and leave it 8 hours. Pour that water away in the morning — it will be cloudy, and the sliminess goes with it.
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Step 2: Cook the grain
Add 750 ml of fresh water, bring to the boil, salt it and simmer covered for 35–40 minutes, until the grains are soft through. Drain off whatever water is left.
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Step 3: Colour the mushrooms
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide pan until it just shimmers and lay the mushrooms out in a single layer. Do not stir for the first 3 minutes — that still contact with the metal is what browns them.
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Step 4: Drive off the moisture
Fry another 5–6 minutes until all the juice has gone. While there is liquid in the pan the mushrooms are steaming rather than frying, and the flavour stays flat.
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Step 5: Soften the vegetables
Add the rest of the oil with the onion and carrot and cook for 6–7 minutes until soft. Throw in the garlic for the last 30 seconds — any longer and it burns.
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Step 6: Bring it together
Fold in the cooked barley, season and warm everything through for 5 minutes so the grain takes on the mushroom flavour. Off the heat, scatter over the parsley.
Tips & variations
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Tip
No time for an overnight soak: cover the grain with boiling water and leave it covered for an hour. Not the same thing, but twice as good as cooking it dry.
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Tip
A handful of dried porcini (15 g) soaked in 200 ml of boiling water changes the dish completely: chop them in with the mushrooms and add the soaking liquid to the cooking water.
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Variation
A dairy version: swap the oil for 50 g of butter and stir a spoon of sour cream in at the end for a creamier finish.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge, and better on day two. Reheat in a pan with a spoonful of water rather than in the microwave, which turns the mushrooms rubbery.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 310 kcal | 1,240 kcal |
| Protein | 9 g | 36 g |
| Fat | 9 g | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48 g | 192 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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