Winters are the best time when one can enjoy a bowl of hot and comforting soup. I pesonally love soups and can have them any time , but when the weather is cold, a big pot of soup simmering on the stove warms the heart as well as the heart.
Barley is cosidered to be very healthy as it is full of fiber , vitamins and minerals. Barley is a very good option for those who want to loose weight or who are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. Other than that Barley also helps in cleaning our gut as it helps in digestion.
Making this soup is very simple and it is so delicious and nutritious as well.It’s hearty and filling without any meat in it. All you need to do is to chop some vegetables and soak the barley for atleast half an hour. Then saute all the vegetables one by one followed by tomato paste and barley and then add vegetable stock. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles and it is done. Isn’t it quick and easy? Well you can also make this soup in a pot or in slow cooker as well. I was in a hurry so I preferred useing Pressure cooker for this recipe.
I have used vegetable stock for this recipe, but you can use plain water as well. You can add any vegetable of your choice. The texture of Barley is chewy like small pasta and it takes time to cook so if you are making it in a pot or a pan, make sure that it s completey soft and cooked.
Let us proceed toward the recipe
- 1 cup pearl Barley
- 1 big onion chopped
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1tsp ginger paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 2 medium chopped tomatoes
- 3 carrots diced
- 2 stick of celery diced
- 1 cup chopped beans
- 7 cups of vegetable stock/water
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- Cilantro or Hara dhaniya for garnish
- Lemon juice to enhance the flavor.
- Wash and soak the barley in room temperatur water for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile chop all the vegetables and keep them aside.
- In a pressure cooker , heat the oil, Once the oil is hot add the bay leaf and then chopped onions. saute the onions for 2 minutes and then add ginger and galric paste.
- Once the raw smell of ginger garlic fades away, add chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft. Now add tomato paste, red chili powder and little water.
- Cook till the mixture starts leaving oil. Now add all the vegetables one by one and keep sauteing.
- In the last add , Barley , water and salt. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook till 3 whistles. Turn off the flame.
- Garnish the hot soup with fresh cilantro or Dhaniya leaves and add few drops of lime juice. Serve hot and enjoy.
- 1. You can add vegetables of your choice.
- 2. If you are meat over, you can also add chicken breast pieces to the soup to make it more protien rich.
Also check Hariyali Barley Khichdi a delcious diabetic friendly recipe.
