A cozy and savory bowl of creamy Curried Barley Porridge with red lentils and peas, resulting in a flavorsome and nourishing meal.
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[feast_advanced_jump_to]Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A ridiculously simple and tasty vegan meal, that is very easy to prepare.
- Cost-effective - doesn’t use expensive ingredients and is filling.
- Savory barley porridge is a great source of fiber from the combination of barley, lentils and veggies.
- Makes a great camping meal (one of our favorite meals when camping - we make it without the frozen peas.)
Ingredients and Variations
Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Pearl barley is great in soups, stews, porridge, salads and more. This grain also offers a good range of vitamins, minerals, and other health benefits. You can easily find this ingredient at your local supermarket or buy pearl Barley online (affiliate link).
For your reference, I placed a close-up pic of this ingredient below.
Red lentils cook so easily and are a good source of protein and fiber. I also use them in my popular Lebanese lentil soup recipe.
Peas (frozen) add a lovely sweetness. You can leave these out if you prefer. My friend cooked this for me once, using this recipe and he used a frozen vegetable trio - peas, carrot, and corn.
Brown onion - should be finely diced.
Curry powder - I prefer to use Keens curry powder (affiliate link) in this barley curry as it's simple and tastes delicious, with a very mild spiciness.
Vegetable stock - Massel (affiliate link) is a good option it's gluten-free and plant-based. If you are on a WFPB no-oil diet, make sure the vegetable stock/broth you are using is oil-free.
Optional Olive Oil - Opt for extra virgin olive oil or you can leave this out if you are not cooking with oil.
Replace with a couple of tablespoons of veggie stock. I alter between cooking with and without oil and both are equally delish!
Omit peas altogether and or add diced carrot instead of peas
For added greens, stir through some chopped spinach or kale leaves in the last five minutes of cooking this barley curry to avoid overcooking them.
How To Cook Curried Barley Porridge
Sweat
In a non-stick heavy-based pot, heat olive oil over high heat. Add onion and sweat until translucent.
If you prefer to cook without oil, use a couple of tablespoons of vegetable stock to sweat the onions.
Simmer The Pearl Barley
Add red lentils, Pearl Barley, vegetable stock and curry powder. Stir contents, cover and bring to a boil.
Turn heat to low-med and allow to simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes, bringing up the bottom to the top. This will help this pearl barley curry not stick to the bottom of the pot.
This curry porridge will naturally soften during cooking and fall apart, no blending is needed.
Stir Peas Into The Porridge
Stir through frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes or until peas are completely soft. Serve warm.
If desired stir through a little amount of water before serving to make the consistency runnier.
Pro Tips and Storage
This curried porridge will double in size when cooked, so this recipe will feed around 6 people with some left-overs.
This porridge can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, after it has cooled down to room temperature.
FAQ
Barley is a whole grain, generally hulled to remove the indigestible outer husk, whilst pearl barley is processed by polishing (pearling) the outer bran layer. Pearl barley is more commonly found in supermarkets.
No, it doesn't need to be pre-soaked before cooking and will cook easily. The reason is as it has been pearled removing the outer layer. Whole grain barley, is the variety that requires soaking.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this vegan barley porridge with steamed vegetables, a fresh simple salad such as a rocca salad or malfouf salad (my favorite with this meal) and some pickled vegetables.
Curry Recipes and More
If you are a curry lover, you must cook my chickpea and lentil curry, ready in 20 minutes and it's so creamy! Or try my easy curried mung beans or my vegetable curry puffs.
Otherwise, check out this vegan chickpea curry by Dizzy Busy and Hungry.
Looking for more vegan barley recipes try my creamy tomato bulgur Pilav made with fresh tomato.
Barley does naturally contain gluten. For a grain that is gluten-free check out how to cook buckwheat.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Curried Barley Porridge (Easy and Vegan)
Equipment
- pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Pearl barley
- 2 cups Red lentils
- 1 cup Frozen peas
- 1 medium Brown Onion diced
- 8 cups Vegetable stock
- 1½ tablespoon Curry powder
Instructions
- In a non-stick pot, add 2 tablespoons of veggie stock or olive oil (see note #1). Add onion and sweat until translucent.1 medium Brown Onion
- Stir through the red lentils, pearl barley, vegetable stock and curry powder. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low-medium and allow to simmer for about 40 minutes.1 cup Pearl barley, 2 cups Red lentils, 1½ tablespoon Curry powder, 8 cups Vegetable stock
- Stir through frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes or until pearl barley and peas are completely soft. Serve warm. If desired stir through a small amount of water to make this porridge a little runnier.1 cup Frozen peas
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The post Curried Barley Porridge (Easy & Vegan) appeared first on Plant Based Folk.
