• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • My Story
  • RECIPES
  • Featured On
  • CookBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Web Stories

Kiipfit.com

Wholesome and healthy vegan food recipes sharing blog

  • RECIPES
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Snacks
    • Salads
      • Dressings
    • Breads
    • Soups
    • Smoothies
  • SPECIAL DIET
    • Vegan
    • Gluten Free
    • Dairy Free
    • Paleo
  • HEALTH TIPS
  • MEAL PLANS
  • Video
  • CookBooks
You are here: Home / Recipes / Barley Pilaf

Barley Pilaf

Published on November 3, 2014 Updated on February 23, 2020 By Gunjan 14 Comments

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mix
  • Yummly
  • Flipboard
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Barley Pilaf is easy to cook, healthy and vegan lunch idea. The tender and chewy Barley is sauteed in mild spices and mixed with nuts. Its a complete delight on a wonderful and relaxed afternoon.

A front view of Barley Pilaf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A treat that I like to give myself once in a while.

Often times in healthy eating it gets difficult for us to come up with lunch ideas.

Mostly we try to lower the carbohydrate content of any meal. Sometimes, salads just sounds uninteresting. Yet we want something freshly cooked and filling and low in calories and high in nutrition. The idea of rice is always so tempting. But in our endeavor in trying to lose weight we avoid the white carbs. So the thought of what to eat for lunch goes on forever.

One day while walking through the aisles of the grocery store I caught the sight of Barley packet on the shelf. I got excited and could not wait to try it immediately. Moreover, I have been on a look for a rice substitute.

In India we usually consume barley water due to its immense health benefits. However, in many countries it is  consumed in rice form.

Health benefits of Barley

It helps in curing urinary tract infections.

Flushes out toxins from the body and helps in losing weight.

Barley rice has the cooling effect in stomach.

Ingredients for Barley Pilaf

Olive oil
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Cilantro
Raw peanuts
Unsalted Cashew nuts
Onions
Turmeric powder
Chili powder
Salt
Cooked barley
Lemon juice


cooked barley in a glass bowl

I loved cooked Barley in pilaf form . The chewy texture of it was satisfying, especially, because I have been watching my calorie consumption for a while. So this was a great change of taste for me.

I was encourage to come up with more barley recipes. However, I started with Barley Pilaf . This is my evergreen favorite barley recipe though. Now, I wanted to introduce this fiber rich grain to my family.

Easy steps to cook Barley Pilaf

I decided to cook with Indian flavors.

I combined the mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves and fresh cilantro to give it a distinct flavor.

Then, I added nuts to enhance the pilaf.

Sauteed onion in a non stick pan

I decided to go for mild spices so that Barley does not lose its original taste and yet Barley Pilaf is flavorful.

It is a wonderful one pot dish. My family enjoyed it heartily 🙂


A front view of the dish

Did you make it?

If you get a chance to make this recipe then please leave your feedback in the comments below along with the ratings. In addition, you may tag @kiipfit on Instagram.

A front view of Barley Pilaf
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Barley Pilaf

Barley Pilaf is easy to cook, healthy and vegan lunch idea. The tender and chewy Barley is sauteed in mild spices and mixed with nuts. Its a complete delight on a wonderful and relaxed afternoon.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: lunch
Cuisine: Indian, vegan
Keyword: Barley Pilaf
Servings: 4
Calories: 324kcal
Author: Gunjan

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 7 curry leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup raw peanuts (with skin)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted cashew nuts
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onions
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt (or as per taste)
  • 3 cups cooked pearled barley
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or as per taste)

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a wok/skillet in a medium flame.
  • Add mustard seeds. As soon as it starts to splutter add curry leaves, cilantro, peanuts, cashew nuts and saute well.
  • When the cashew nuts and peanuts start browning add onions and saute until translucent.
  • Add turmeric powder, chili powder and salt and again mix well so that the spices are well blended.
  • Add barley and mix properly. Cover and cook for few minutes.
  • Lastly add lemon juice. Mix properly. Simmer, cover and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Garnish with more cilantro and serve hot.

Notes

  • To cook Barley - take 2 ½ cups of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add 1 cup barley and cook until almost all the water is absorbed and the barley is soft, tender and chewy. For pilaf recipe drain the left over water.

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 882mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 4g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.9mg

 

Close up of Plated Barley Pilaf

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mix
  • Yummly
  • Flipboard

Filed Under: All, Lunch, Recipes, Special Diet, Vegan

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jalisa Harris says

    April 17, 2019 at 3:43 pm

    My family would love this recipe. Definitely bookmarking.

    Reply
  2. Leanne Wong says

    April 17, 2019 at 6:14 am

    I love barley! Both as a savoury dish and dessert. Over here in Singapore, we have barley drinks often and it cools us down in this sunny weather!

    Reply
  3. Stine Mari says

    April 17, 2019 at 12:14 am

    This is such a great alternative to white rice! And it does look scrumptious with all those Indian spices.

    Reply
  4. Luci says

    April 16, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so yummy. I’ve never cooked with barley before, will have to try.

    Reply
  5. Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

    April 16, 2019 at 6:49 pm

    This looks so good and flavorful! I’ll have to try it this week!

    Reply
  6. Madi Rowan says

    April 16, 2019 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    I don’t eat pilaf because I’m Celiac but I love the recipe!! I think I’m just going to substitute the pilaf for just plain rice, I think it will be delicious!

    -madi

    Reply
    • Gunjan says

      April 19, 2019 at 8:15 am

      Hi Madi, you can certainly substitute it with plain rice or quinoa. This recipe would as good as with Barley.

      Reply
  7. Cheryl Kohan says

    April 16, 2019 at 1:40 pm

    I love barley, too, and this looks just delicious. Barley has such a great nutty flavor and texture and I haven’t made it for a long time. What a great substitute for rice and a bonus is the health benefits. Great post!

    Reply
  8. MK says

    April 16, 2019 at 11:11 am

    I never considered using barley for pilaf. This recipe looks incredible! The cashews and peanuts are ingredients I wouldn’t have considered in this dish, but certainly look forward to trying.

    Reply
  9. Aliza says

    April 16, 2019 at 10:11 am

    Okay, I’ve heard of rice pilaf, but never barley pilaf! I think that this is the perfect way to switch it up!

    Reply
    • Gunjan says

      April 16, 2019 at 10:34 am

      I would recommend to try this Barley Pilaf and substitute it for rice. Barley is healthier than rice.

      Reply
  10. Lynn @ Order in the Kitchen says

    November 18, 2014 at 12:27 am

    love the color of this pilaf! what a smart change though to use the barley! makes it a much healthier option! love it 🙂

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth @ bowl of delicious! says

    November 3, 2014 at 8:57 pm

    I loveeee barley. It’s got such a great crunch and texture to it without being too “whole grain-ish.” This looks amazing! I’m definitely inspired to make my own pilaf 🙂

    Reply
    • Gunjan says

      November 5, 2014 at 3:57 pm

      Thanks Elizabeth! Hope you enjoy this recipe.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

A close up front view of Gunjan Dudani'a face.
Hi, I am Gunjan Dudani, Certified Nutrition Coach. I love creating comfort vegan recipes with a healthier twist that friends and family will love. Click here

Subscribe

Footer

kiipfit.com

  • Home
  • My Story
  • RECIPES
  • Featured On
  • CookBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Web Stories
Ad

Terms & Condition | Privacy Policy

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

2023 kiipfit.com | All rights reserved

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

All rights reserved by kiipfit.com | Copyright © 2023

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in .

Kiipfit.com
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.