Barley is considered to be one of the most affordable and useful among all varieties of cereals. Recipes with photos of pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker allow you to cook a real "treasury". It contains a whole arsenal of vitamins necessary for the human body. Today, many housewives cook barley porridge in a slow cooker, because with the help of such a smart assistant you can get a really tasty and fragrant dish, spending a minimum of time on it.
History of Pearl Barley
Pearl barley was revered back in Ancient Russia, where it was actively used not only in the daily diet. The festive table also rarely did without this useful meal. In those days, pearl barley was called nothing more than “royal croup”. The reason for this lies in the fact that such a mess was affordable only for influential segments of the population.
Today, barley dishes have lost their former popularity; they are rarely prepared. Our compatriots associate such porridge more with the army, since there it is one of the main dishes.
But since barley is a real storehouse of useful vitamins and minerals, such an attitude to porridge is regrettable. Nutrition experts believe that soon this dish will increasingly appear on the daily menu.
How to cook pearl barley?
Most often, such porridge is cooked on a simple gas stove. Cooking time depends on the quality of the porridge and the age of the grains. Therefore, for the "old" cereals will require more time for cooking than for the "young". On average, the cooking procedure will take from 0.5 to 1.5 hours.
But progress does not stand still, thanks to which the preparation of a meal literally every day takes less and less time. The reason for this lies in the fact that there are new devices that can simplify the cooking process. For example, a crock-pot, on the preparation of pearl barley porridge in which it will be discussed in this article. Such a smart assistant is able to do everything herself, as soon as you download the necessary products into it and select the appropriate program. And do not be afraid to experiment with fillings to make the taste more expressive, and the porridge aromatic.
The simplest recipe for barley in a slow cooker
You can talk about how to cook pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker for a long time, but there is the simplest recipe that even a child can master.
For cooking, you need the following ingredients:
- multi-glass of pearl barley porridge;
- 2 multi-glasses of water;
- spices (selected based on your preferences);
- butter (you can choose either vegetable or cream).
Cooking will take about an hour.
The calorie content of the dish is 109 kcal (based on 100 grams of the finished product).
During cooking, you should follow these steps.
- First of all, you need to sort out pearl barley, saving it from unusable grains, as well as various debris. The kernels are thoroughly washed under running cold water, and then soaked for a couple of hours. If there is such an opportunity, it is better to leave the cereal for the night in this form. You can also do without soaking, but then the porridge will need to be cooked longer and it will not be so tender.
- Lubricate the multicooker bowl with oil and pour prepared barley into it. To fill with water. Turn on the multicooker by selecting the “Porridge” mode and setting the timer for 60 minutes.
- As soon as your assistant gives a signal, barley porridge in a slow cooker needs to be seasoned to taste and add oil. Stir the barley thoroughly. To make the porridge more flavorful, it must be left directly in the device, closing the lid so that it insists. But you can immediately serve the dish to the table.
Barley with meat: a simple recipe from a slow cooker
Barley porridge with meat in a slow cooker is a very healthy and tasty dish that is prepared with minimal use of fats. A kitchen helper will contribute to the preparation of truly aromatic porridge, which will become a worthy element of the diet for all family members.
To prepare such a dish, the following ingredients will be required:
- 2 multi-glasses of pearl barley;
- 400 grams of any meat;
- 5 multi-glasses of water;
- medium root carrot;
- 2 small onions (or 1 large);
- favorite spices;
- sunflower oil.
It will take an hour and a half to prepare the dish.
Calorie content directly depends on the type of meat that has been selected:
- pearl barley with veal - 180 kcal;
- pearl barley with pork - 130 kcal;
- pearl barley with chicken - 90 kcal.
Stages of cooking barley with meat
This recipe for fragrant pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker with a photo that you see in the article provides for such steps.
- Peel the meat from the films and cut into not very large cubes.
- Peel the onions and carrots, then rinse and chop them well. The grinding method is not important - you can do it as you like.
- At the next stage, you need to sort out the pearl barley, thoroughly rinse them under running water.
- Now you can start cooking pearl barley porridge in the Redmond slow cooker or any other brand. To do this, set the mode "Frying", while setting the timer for 15 minutes. Lubricate the bowl of the device with a thin layer of vegetable oil, and then send chopped meat to it, which must be fried for a given period of time.
- As soon as you hear the multicooker signal, you need to load the vegetables and put another 10 minutes on the timer.
- This time, after the signal, barley is poured, which must be seasoned with your favorite spices and pour hot water. Set the “Baking” mode, and set the timer for 50 minutes. After the kitchen assistant reports about the readiness of the dish, turn off the device and leave the porridge with the lid closed for 10 minutes.
Cooking in a slow cooker aromatic barley with stew
The following ingredients will be required:
- 2 multi-glasses of pearl barley;
- 500 grams of stew;
- medium-sized onion;
- 5 multi-glasses of water;
- a small carrot;
- spices you like;
- vegetable oil.
Preparation of such a dish will take about an hour and a half.
The calorie content of the finished porridge will be 140 kcal per 100 grams.
How to cook barley with stew?
The instructions for preparing the dish are as follows.
- As in other recipes for pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker, cooking begins with the preparation of cereals. It needs to be sorted out, choosing good grains and separating them from the garbage. Rinse porridge thoroughly under running water, and then soak. A couple of hours for such a manipulation will be enough, but it is much better to leave it all night in this state.
- Peel and chop vegetables. Usually, the onion is cut into small cubes or half rings, while carrots can be grated.
- Lubricate the multicooker bowl with oil and cook the vegetables in the “Frying” mode. This procedure usually takes 5-7 minutes.
- We send stew and pearl barley to vegetables. Fill with water, season to taste. You can select the mode of electronic wizard, given its type. Ideal are such as "Stew", "Pilaf" or "Porridge". In one of these modes, you need to set the timer for 80 minutes. After the signal, you need to mix the porridge well, and then leave it to sweat for 10 minutes.
Barley porridge with mushrooms
Perhaps meat and mushrooms are the main ingredients that hostesses constantly add to various cereals. The recipe for mushroom pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker with a photo involves the use of such ingredients:
- multi-glass of barley porridge;
- water (the ratio should be 4 to 1 in favor of water);
- mushrooms - 300 grams;
- large onion;
- favorite spices;
- a spoonful of vegetable oil.
It will take about 70 minutes to prepare such a dish.
Calorie content is 55 kcal per 100 grams of the finished product.
Cooking barley with mushrooms
Before cooking pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker, you need to prepare the cereal by washing it and soaking in water. For such a procedure, 2-3 hours will be enough, however, the best solution is to soak it and leave it for the whole night. Thanks to this manipulation, the porridge will be softer and more tender, and cooking will take less time.
Mushrooms and onions need to be cleaned and cut in a way convenient for you. For onions, slicing in half rings is most suitable, and carrots can be grated.
Set the device to the “Baking” or “Frying” mode, and then grease its bowl with a very thin layer of any vegetable oil. For this dish, sunflower oil is best suited, it does not have an unpleasant odor during cooking. First you need to load the onion into the bowl, then the carrot. After 10 minutes, add the mushrooms. All products are roasted for another 10 minutes.
The last ingredient to be loaded into the bowl is pearl barley. Season it with your favorite spices and add water. Cooking takes place in the "Extinguishing" mode with a timer set for 45 minutes.
Milk Barley Porridge
Barley porridge with milk is no less tasty than with salted additives. It can dilute the diet of children. The delicacy will be even more delicious if you add jam, berries or dried fruits to it.
For cooking, you need the following ingredients:
- barley grains - one multi-glass will be enough;
- water - in a ratio of 3 to 1 to cereals;
- milk is the same amount as water;
- a teaspoon of salt;
- 3 tsp Sahara.
Preparation of such pearl barley porridge in a slow cooker will take about 3 hours.
Cooking steps
- Rinse thoroughly under cold running water. The procedure should be repeated until the water is clear. Soak the barley for several hours.
- Send the cereal to the bowl of the electric sorceress, add water, add salt and granulated sugar. After this, you need to mix the finished mixture thoroughly. Set the "Porridge" mode by setting the timer for 60 minutes.
- After the multicooker signal, change the mode to “Extinguishing”, and set the timer for 120 minutes.
- The end of the last regimen is a sign that you need to add butter, mix porridge and leave it for 10 minutes under a closed lid.
There are many recipes for the preparation of aromatic and extremely healthy barley. You just need to try different variations to understand which one you like the most. Also, do not forget to experiment with supplements, because those that we have listed are not all that can be used.
Bon appetit and new culinary achievements!