How to cook pearl barley at home, this Latvian Recipe was given to me by my friend. Pearl barley is an underrated ingredient but this recipe with bacon and potatoes should put a stop to that. This store cupboard grain makes a great alternative to rice or couscous. It is a cheap family dish that you’ll want to make again. This dish is so comforting and so easy to make. You can replace bacon with other meats like beef and lamb! I hope you try and enjoy this!
We will need:
1/2 cup pearl barley
150 g smoked pork * you can replace it with beef or lamb
1/2 onion
2 potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 litres of stock (for cooking)
To make this dish:
Step 1 : Soak the pearl barley. Rinse the pearl barley until the water is clear and leave for at few hours covered with a water. If you don’t have time to do that, you can boil it straight away on medium heat for about 20-25 min.
Step 2 : Put the pork in the pan, cover with stock and also add the pearl barley and boil.
Step 3 : Chop your potatoes and onions. Once pear barley is soft, you can add the rest of the ingredients.
Step 4 : Once the water has evaporated, add cumin, salt and pepper.
Step 5 : Serve in a bowl or in a nice round shape with some bread, sour cream. Enjoy!