Recipe by Stacy Dong
www.zainelicious.blogspot.com

Did you know that barley is comparable to wheat in terms of nutritional value? In fact, barley can be considered more nutritious because it is rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre, whereas wheat is only rich in the latter. It also contains almost all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that our bodies need.

In addition, barley is also known as a preventive food against heart disease and cancer. It is also said to relieve symptoms of asthma and arthritis and is good for your intestinal health when consumed regularly.

Barley nutrition comes in many forms. The more popular ones are hulled barley (most nutritious), barley grass, barley green powder, barley flour, barley water and the one that we are most familiar with, pearl barley.

Here is a simple preparation of barley porridge:

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of organic rolled barley flakes*
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of diced organic ripe papaya

Method:
Soak the barley flakes in water for half an hour in the 2 cups of water. Bring it to boil and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the barley has absorbed all the water, stirring occasionally.

When it's cooked, top it with the diced papaya and serve.

* If you are using hulled barley, you would need to soak it longer.