Vegetable Fried Barley

And this is different from regular ol' vegetable fried rice only through the straight-up substitution of barley for the rice. My main question was, would it work?

The answer to that is yes; yes it does. It's a little chewier, no surprise, but really it works very well. The one thing I would note is that barley is much more filling than rice. It absorbs liquid as it cooks, and it absorbs liquid as it rests, and it absorbs liquid as it is reheated. Once it is eaten it continues to absorb liquid which is a good thing, but you should also take care not to over-eat it at the table, because it will come back and haunt you later if you do.

This is a lot like the Barley Pilaf I make regularly, but a little more effort for a drier, crumblier texture. Sometimes that's what you will want, especially if you are not eating much else with it. You could very easily add scrambled eggs, chopped cooked meat, or fried tofu cubes to this if you wanted some protein in with it.

4 serving
30 minutes prep time, not including cooking the barley

Cook the Barley:
2/3 cup pot barley
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put the barley, water and salt into a rice cooker and cook. Let cool and refrigerate overnight. Use a fork, or your hand wet in cold water, to break the barley up into individual grains before proceeding.

Fry the Barley:
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery OR 1/2 cup peeled, grated celeriac
1 medium carrot
a small handful of mushrooms
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 or 2 cloves of garlic OPTIONAL
2 or 3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 or 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Peel and chop the onion. Wash, trim, and chop or grate the celery or celeriac. Peel and grate the carrot. Clean, trim, and chop the mushrooms. All these can be put together.

Wash, trim, and finely chop the cabbage. Peel and mince the garlic, if using.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the first set of vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted and softened. Add the cabbage and the garlic, and stir in well. Let cook for another minute or so, stirring and turning the vegetables.

Sprinkle the soy sauce over the vegetables, and stir it in until absorbed. Add the crumbled barley and stir it in well. Continue cooking and stirring for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the barley begins to crisp and stick a little to the pan. Serve at once.





Last year at this time I made Chinese Chile-Garlic Noodles & Greens.

Posted in: Ontario Food