Barley is a very nutritious and fibrous cereal. It's great for controlling sugar levels in diabetes patients and I have seen my grandparents drinking barley water as a palliative. However it did not occupy a place in my cooking until I ate barley risotto in a restaurant in Central London. That set me thinking about how I could use this at home..... So here is my own Barley and sweet potato medley :)
Before you begin:
1 cup barley, boiled and drained
1 cup peanuts, coarsely powdered (in a mixer-grinder)
1 large sweet potato, peeled, washed and cut into 1 cm cubes
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp refined oil
Salt and coriander to season
Good to know:
Making the Barley medley
Before you begin:
1 cup barley, boiled and drained
1 cup peanuts, coarsely powdered (in a mixer-grinder)
1 large sweet potato, peeled, washed and cut into 1 cm cubes
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp refined oil
Salt and coriander to season
Good to know:
- Barley should be boiled until it is cooked right through but still retains some firmness. (Al dente).
- You may use pumpkin or squash instead of sweet potato. Potatoes don't work as well!
- The sweet potato I buy in London cooks very quickly, please use your own experience as a guide
Making the Barley medley
Gently mix the boiled & drained barley with crushed peanuts and set aside.
Warm the refined oil and toss cumin seeds into it, followed by ginger and green chillies. Saute for 1 minute. Now add cubed sweet potatoes, salt and turmeric. Mix well and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sweet potato can be easily sliced with the back of a knife. Now add in the peanut coated barley and mix gently so as not to mash the sweet potato. Leave covered on the gas for about 5 minutes until the flavours are well distributed. Season with coriander and serve hot.
