Pearl Barley Porridge in Water

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all the ingredients you need. Use good-quality pearl barley from a reliable producer. Even better if it's hulled barley — an improved variety of pearl barley. Don't go for cheap grain: it often already has weevil larvae from the factory that later turn into live bugs, which shortens its shelf life. The butter should be at least 82.5% fat.

2. Step 2:

   

   Check the grain for bugs, debris, and damaged kernels. Rinse it well. To get fluffy porridge, you need to rinse it until the water runs completely clear. Pearl barley takes quite a while to cook, but to speed it up you can soak the grain in cold water for several hours — soaking it overnight is convenient. Then drain the water the grain soaked in.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the grain into your cooking pot. I recommend using a heavy-bottomed pot so nothing scorches.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add water. I don't recommend tap water — filtered or bottled water is best. Add enough water to cover the grain by about 2 cm.

5. Step 5:

   

   Salt the water.

6. Step 6:

   

   Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Be sure to skim off the foam.

7. Step 7:

   

   Then turn the heat down to its lowest setting and cover the pot. The grain will take about 1.5 hours to cook through. But if you soaked it beforehand, the cooking time may drop to 30–40 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   The water should evaporate completely, leaving the grains separate, grain by grain. The porridge should come out nice and fluffy.

9. Step 9:

   

   Add the butter to the porridge, wait for it to melt, stir, cover with the lid, and let it rest for another 10 minutes. For a meatless version, drizzle the porridge with any vegetable oil: olive, sunflower, or any other. My favorite is fragrant sunflower oil — unrefined!

10. Step 10:

    

    Serve the porridge right away, while it's hot. Enjoy!