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Barley Salad

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Recipe: Barley Salad

Barley Salad with a Greek lemony dressing is easy to make, ideal potluck salad and makes a healthy meal. Add vegetables of your choice. What I like about this salad is that it stays fresh for at least 3 days in the fridge. Therefore, I like to make a large batch so that I have a light meal ready for busy days.

 

What Is Barley?

Barley is a cereal grain commonly used in breads, stews, soups and sometimes as a side to enjoy with the main dish. This potassium, folate, Vitamin B-6, iron and fiber rich grain doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It is highly recommended for good heart health and to control blood pressure. Pot or hulled barley is the one where only the outer husk layer is removed. Therefore it takes longer to cook. Pearl barley, which is commonly available in the supermarkets has the bran layer removed, is steamed and polished. Therefore it cooks easily. I prefer to use the pot or hulled barley as it is more richer in protein, iron and fiber. It is known as jau in Hindi and Gujarati.

 

Sharing Barley Salad Recipe With 2025 Alphabet Challenge Group

This year my aim is to share salad recipes which begin with B, or have ingredients beginning with B. Hopefully, I will be able to do full justice for the target I have set.  B is not too difficult a letter when it comes to salad ingredients, brussel sprouts (not a fan of them), broccoli, beetroot, beans, etc. However, I decided to use barley for my salad. It is a great way to include barley in your diet and the salad is very filling.

B is for Barley.

 

Another Barley Recipe You May Like

I include barley in my family’s diet as often as I can. But most of the recipes have not been posted on the blog. I use it to make pulao, barley idlis and roti.

BARLEY PUMPKIN SOUP
Barley Pumpkin Soup is a perfect Vegan Fall Season soup. Healthy, hearty, filling and tasty. Just when there a bit of a nippy chill in the evenings, this soup is so comforting. Usually with soups like this we don't any bread slices or bread sticks as the barley is quite filling.
Check out this recipe

 

B Recipes By Members Of  The Group

 

 

 

 

Ingredients Required For Barley Salad And Greek Lemon Salad Dressing

Barley

Easily available in most supermarkets and online. Health stores too stock barley. Be careful which one you buy. As mentioned above I prefer to use hulled or pot barley. But for quick cooking you can use pearl barley. If like me you want to use pot barley then make sure you soak it overnight or at least 6-8 hours in normal tap water. Drain out the water using a colander or sieve. Wash the barley under running water. Put the water to boil in a saucepan. Best to go with 1 part barley and 3 parts of water. As soon as the water begins to boil, add the barley. Allow it to simmer over low to medium heat till it is done. Can add a bit of salt to make the barley more flavourful. If you are using pearl barley, no need to soak it. Add to boiling water and cook till done. It should not be hard.  Can replace water with stock if you want to.

Please note that barley is not gluten free.

Onion

Peel and dice onion. I always have red onion in my pantry as I prefer it. However, you can opt to use yellow or white onion.

Apple

Need one apple as it adds a bit of crunch to the salad. Go for your favourite variety. I like to use honey crisp or Mcintosh Red. Core and dice the apple. Drizzle some lemon juice over the chopped apple so that it does not brown.

Cucumber

I prefer to use either Persian or English cucumber so we can have it with the peel. Dice the cucumber.

Pomegranate

Add some pomegranate arils for that slight tartness.

Olives

Use any of your choice, black, green, kalamata. Cut them into slices.

Nuts

Add some walnuts, pecans or almonds. Toast them before adding to the salad. I usually allow them to toast in the microwave oven for 2-3 minutes. Chop them up roughly.

Pumpkin Seeds

Toast them along with the nuts of your choice.

Fresh Herb

I opted for fresh parsley. You can add mint, dill, oregano or coriander.

Lemon

I prefer to use fresh lemon juice whenever I make the dressing at home.

Honey

Honey adds an awesome flavour to the lemony dressing. Can opt for maple syrup for a vegan option.

Olive Oil

You want the olive oil flavour to come through, so try and use good quality oil. Another option is avocado oil.

Salt

Add according to your taste. Use sea salt, Himalayan pink salt or regular table salt.

Pepper

Best to crack the pepper fresh as makes the salad so much more flavourful.

Greek Seasoning

I love the Greek Seasoning or Blend I have. My sister in law got it for me as a present when she went to Crete. It is a blend of parsley, oregano, dill, basil.rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

 

 

 

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BARLEY SALAD WITH GREEK LEMON HONEY DRESSING

Barley Salad with a Greek lemony dressing is easy to make, ideal potluck salad and makes a healthy meal. Add vegetables of your choice. What I like about this salad is that it stays fresh for at least 3 days in the fridge
Course Light Meal, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine International
Keyword barley salad, lemon honey dressing
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
SOAKING TIME 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 35 minutes
Servings 2
Author mayurisjikoni

Ingredients

FOR THE BARLEY SALAD

  • ½ cup pot or hulled barley
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 medium apple
  • 2 small cucumber
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils
  • ¼ cup onion chopped
  • ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
  • 8-10 walnuts toasted
  • 10 olives sliced
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • extra tap water for soaking

FOR THE GREEK LEMON HONEY DRESSING

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp Greek Seasoning
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper coarsely ground

Instructions

SOAK THE BARLEY

  • if you are using pot barley, soak it in enough tap water for 6-8 hours or overnight.
  • This will reduce the cooking time. It will take anywhere between 30-40 minutes.

COOK THE BARLEY

  • Drain out the water from the soaked barley using a sieve or colander.
  • Rinse the barley.
  • Add 2 cups of water in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Bring the water to a boil.
  • Add the barley and you can add about ½ tsp salt.
  • Lower the heat and allow the barley to cook till it becomes tender.
  • This will take about 30-40 minutes. Make sure you don't over cook the barley as it will become too soft and mushy.
  • Fluff up the cooked barley using a fork. Let it cool down completely.

PREPARE THE SALAD

  • Lightly toast the walnuts and pumpkin seeds in a pan over low heat or in the microwave oven for 2-3 minutes.
  • Allow the nuts and seeds to cool down completely. Cut the walnuts into halves.
  • Core and cut the apple into cubes. Drizzle some lemon juice over it so that it does not turn brown.
  • Dice the cucumbers. If the skin is soft then you don't need to remove it.
  • Chop the parsley or whichever herb you use.
  • Add the cooked barley, cucumber, apple, onion, parsley, walnuts, pomegranate, sunflower seeds and olives into a mixing bowl.
  • Mix or toss well.

PREPARE THE LEMON HONEY DRESSING

  • Add olive oil, salt, pepper, Greek Seasoning, lemon juice and honey in a small cup or bowl.
  • Whisk it till it becomes a bit creamy.
  • Alternately, you can add the ingredients in a jar with a good tight lid.
  • Close the lid. Shake the jar.

ADD THE DRESSING

  • Add the dressing to the salad. Toss or mix it well.
  • I prefer to add the dressing just before serving so that the salad does not become soggy.
  • Can serve the salad with the dressing on the side.

Notes

  • As light lunch this salad is for 2. If you serve it as a side dish then it can serve 4.
  • If you don't have Greek Seasoning, add any dried herbs of your choice.
  • Add feta if you want to.
  • If you use pearl barley then you don't need to soak it.
  • Remember a barley triples up in quantity after it is cooked.

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