A Brief Guide To Cooking Pearl Barley

by

Louise Kalyn

A majority of people would like to know how to cook barley and for this to be a success they will have to have several facts with them. Barley is part of the whole grain family which is mostly used in soups and stews. It can also be used as a side dish and also as a salad and in some cases for chicken sauces. It is classified into and this is hulled barley and pearl barley. Hulled barley is also referred to as barley groats and is the least processed as well as being the most nutritious and rich in fiber.

Pearl barley on the other hand includes outer bran which is scrubbed off lessening its nutritious and is different from hulled barley. It is however the most popular because of its softness and also its ability to cook quickly. When you are preparing barley you have to pre-soak it overnight to be able to lessen its cooking time. Hulled and pearl barley are not the only categories of barley. Other types of barley include rolled barley or flaked barley, hato mugi barley, black barley, sprouting barley as well as scotch or pot barley. Pearl barley is one of the easiest to prepare and this will require you to follow several steps. Preparing pearl barley properly will not necessarily require any complicated culinary skills or cooking techniques. You have two choices of preparing barley and this will include pre-soaking the barley overnight or simply cooking barley without any advanced preparation. For those who really stress on convenience, then the pre-soaking option will definitely be their best. There are several things you will need to have with you before starting cooking the barley. The barley is the first ingredient that should be available as is water and also a pot that has a tight fitting lid. The cooking process can now be started with the first step being the rinsing of the barley with a strainer followed by picking out of any debris that may have made it through the processing. You should then allow the barley to soak overnight in water or broth in order to reduce its cooking time. The water used here should be twice the amount of barley for example 1 cup of barley should be accompanied with 2 cups of water. You should then decide if you will be using water or broth to boil the barley. You should then use 2 ? to 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup barley and then add the liquid to the pot. You should then wait for the water or broth to come to boil. You should then add the barley to the boiled water or broth and stir. The pot should then be covered with a lid and the heat reduced to low. This should then let to cook for 15 minutes. if you did not pre-soak the barley it should let to cook for 40 minutes.

This article touched the basics of the topic. I have 2 more resources related to the above. They are

pearl barley how to cook

and

how to cook barley

. Do consider reading them.

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A Brief Guide To Cooking Pearl Barley

Submitted by: Noraini Maskuri

Many people are mystified by traditional Indian cooking and cuisines and a little somewhat confused with the varieties of curries and spices used . Some may even think the traditional Indian cooking is mostly about vegetarian dishes and curries.

India has one of the finest and richest culinary histories. Contrary to popular belief, Indian cuisines are not complex or too confusing to cook. It can also be as elaborate as you want it to be. If you understand the diversity of the country, which is divided into four regions, north, south, east and west, you will appreciate the varieties of dishes, exotic spices, cooking methods,etc.

Interestingly there are two kinds of meat that you will not find in many Indian recipes, one is beef and the other is pork, this is primarily due to religious factors. Cows are sacred to the Hindus while pork is prohibited in the Muslim diet.

Indian cuisines are however generally characterized by exact combination of spices and flavours and the cooking method generally is to saute and simmer the dishes or curries over low heat. Tandoori cooking has popularised the oven-clay oven method which has produced tandoori chicken or naan bread.

Regardless of region, spices are key ingredients in Indian cooking. The Indians are also mindful of the healing properties of spices in their cooking. These are derived from plants’s roots, buds, seeds, fruits and dried bark which produce the exotic aroma. It is released when the spices are heated up. All these spices are all readily available in supermarkets.

Spices can be grouped into five basic categories : sweet, pungent, tangy, hot, and amalgamating. The way these are used and the amounts used in cooking are governed by these characteristics. Examples of the different types of spices are:

Amalgamating: Coriander seed, fennel seed

Sweet: Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla

Pungent: Cloves, star anise, cardamom

Tangy: Ginger, tamarind, sumach, kokam

Hot: pepper, chilli, mustard, horseradish

Most of the herbs such as thyme, sage, marjoram, oregano, bay leaves, mint and rosemary are considered as savoury. The herbs do have varying degrees of flavour intensity, however not as dramatic as with spices.

Northern Indian cooking is influenced by the weather which can range from extreme heat to freezing cold. The dishes are traditionally rich and heavy with cream and ghee, using breads, meats and tend to be less spicy. Yoghurt is widely used instead of coconut milk which is widely used in the south. They also tend to be drier as soupy sauces do not mix well as dippings for breads. Naan and chapati breads come from the north.

In the south where the weather is mostly hot throughout the year, rice is widely grown and this makes the diet of south Indians rice-based that goes well with soupy curries. Spices are used heavily and the southern cuisines tend to be spicier than the north. The roti-prata or dosai are typical southern breads.

Indian desserts are basically different forms of rice puddings, milk puddings, vegetables and fruits dipped in sweet syrup. Indian sweets or fudges are usually decorated or garnished with raisins, almonds, pistachios. Mostly made by boiling down milk to remove the moisture and then adding butter, flavour and sugar. The Indian sweets usually have high sugar content so use sugar in moderation when trying out Indian dessert recipes.

About the Author: Noraini Maskuri enjoys cooking and has professional training in bakery. She is the owner of

MyCookery.com

and has a blog at

mycookery.com/blog

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

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Instructions For Salton Yogurt Maker By Atica Brewton

Making yogurt with the Salton Yogurt Maker is fun, easy and worry-free. A few things you’ll need are milk, powdered milk for thickening, a thermometer and a yogurt starter. Be sure your yogurt maker is clean before starting. It will provide a stable temperature for incubating the yogurt. In this article you will find the best instructions for Salton Yogurt Maker.

1. Add ½ cup of dry milk powder to 1 qt of whole or skim milk.

The milk should be heated on the stove to 185-190°F, stirring frequently.

2. While you’re waiting for the milk to heat, plug in your yogurt maker so it can be warming up.

3. Let the milk cool to 110-115°F. I usually place the pot in a large bowl of ice water, stirring the milk until it’s cooled to the right temperature.

4. Pour about 1/3 of the milk into a separate clean container and add ½ cup of plain yogurt with active cultures or 1 pack of yogurt starter. Stir until mixed evenly.

5. Pour this starter mix into the remaining milk and stir.

6. Finally, pour the milk into your pre-heated yogurt maker.

7. You should allow the yogurt to incubate 6-12 hours. The longer it is heated, the more tart the taste.

8. When the batch is done, put the container in the frigerator and allow it to cool for several hours or overnight. The yogurt will thicken as it cools.

Now you have a wonderfully delicious batch of plain yogurt. If you like it flavored, add some maple syrup, honey, fruit or jam.

Homemade yogurt is a healthy alternative to store-bought brands. You have control over the ingredients and there’s no risk of eating unhealthy additives and sugars. The Salton Yogurt Maker is inexpensive and easy to use. You don’t have to part with large sums of your hard-earned money for a more expensive unit. Making homemade yogurt is exciting and I hope you find these instructions for Salton Yogurt Maker useful.

The author’s website Yogurt Maker Enthusiast features tips on yogurt, using a yogurt maker, yogurt starters and homemade yogurt recipes.