Here is one of my simple Barley recipes.
1 cup Barley
1/2 Green Pepper (Capsicum)
1/2 Sweet Onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
2 tablespoons of Craisins, that's right, Cranberries and Raisins
Salt and Pepper to taste
Soak the barley the previous night or 12-18 hrs prior to cooking. It is easier to cook barley that way. Add barley to 2- 21/2 cup of boiling water and cook for 15-20 min. If you like it very soft, you can cook for additional 5-10 min. I like mine a little crunchy. :)
Meanwhile saute diced sweet onions in olive oil in a pan.
Add the minced garlic and ground pepper.
Once the onions turn soft add the cranberries and raisins.
Add the cooked barley to this mixture.
Keep on low flame for another 5min mixing the ingredients gently.
Add the diced green pepper at this time.
I added a few Tindora (or Ivy Gourd) thinly sliced into rounds. I sauteed them along with the onions for a good 5-10 min. They hold well in the heat and are very crunchy even after adding the barley and cooking it for another 5-10 min. Tindora does not have a strong flavor of its own. All it does is give an extra crunch and color. But it comes with such a long list of medicinal and nutritional values that it is difficult to ignore. Tindora is commonly sold in Korean stores like H-mart or Indian stores.
But if it is difficult to find Tindora, you can substitute it with some celery.
In any case, it is just a yummy and light dish. You will enjoy it thoroughly, I am sure!!!
Let's see a picture as a proof. Doesn't that look yummy? I am telling you, it tastes yummy too!!
