Thursday, June 30, 2011

Barley Mint Stoup


"Barley"  is an another ingredient in the quest of my Healthy Kitchen. Now a days I am more concentrating on using whole grain ingredients into my recipes, as these grains all packed with high fiber and protein, which will make you eat less and at the same time fill your stomach. 
You might be wondering which I called this recipe as "Stoup"....If the readers have watched Rachael Ray's show, this would not be a question in their mind anymore, but I will explain it for those who don't know.....
"Stoup" - I call is "a Rachael Ray word" :) because, when I made this recipe I thought it might look like a soup, but it turned out to be little bit more creamy and thick, but still thinner consistency than a stew, so it's not a soup nor a stew, but a stoup. :)
Finally I decided to add mint to the stoup, which made this recipe taste much flavorful with the peppery mint and green action with was colorful and refreshing.

 Barley Nutrition
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Barley contains eight essential amino acids. According to a recent study, eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption compared to white or even whole-grain wheat, which has a similarglycemic index. The effect was attributed to colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates. Barley can also be used as a coffee substitute.
Hulled barley (or covered barley) is eaten after removing the inedible, fibrous outer hull. Once removed, it is called dehulled barley (or pot barley or scotch barley). Considered a whole grain, dehulled barley still has its bran and germ making it a nutritious and popular health food.Pearl barley (or pearled barley) is dehulled barley which has been steam processed further to remove the bran. It may be polished, a process known as "pearling". Dehulled or pearl barley may be processed into a variety of barley products, including flour, flakes similar to oatmeal, and grits.

Ingredients:
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1 cup Barley ( I choose Pearl Barley) 
3 1/2 cups Water
1 Onion chopped
3 Tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp Tomato paste (optional)
1 Green Chili chopped
1/4 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Red Chili powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Olive oil
1/4 cup Mint chopped
1 tbsp Lemon juice

Method:
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1. To soak the barley you can either do it for about 3-4 hours or in a sauce pan add water and barley and bring it to a boil and stir it once then off the flame and let it stand for an hour.
2. In a pressure cooker add 1 tsp oil, when it's medium hot add the ginger-garlic paste, saute it until it turns golden brown, add chopped onions and saute it for 2-3 mins.
3. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste along with all the spice powders and salt.
4. Lower the flame, cover and cook the tomatoes and the spice powders for about 2-3 mins or until the tomatoes are soft and cooked.
5. Now add the barley with the water and cover the lid and pressure cook it for 2 whistles or until cooked.

6. Allow it to come to room temperature, remove the lid of the pressure cooker and mix it again and finally add the mint, lemon juice and stir it again and serve when it's hot.


Before posting this recipe, I saw a blogger hosting an event called "Cook It Healthy", so thought of participating for this event by submitting this recipe.

"Cook It Healthy" Event - By Sobha
So wish me Luck!! :-))