Healthy beef and barley soup.

Healthy beef and barley soup, a thick nourishing soup with whole grains as the base and chunks of beef to taste, make the best of your new year resolution to be healthy by adding this soup to your monthly meal plan.

It’s the beginning of another new year and as we all tend to make a few new year resolutions to be health-conscious. Let’s begin with occasionally replacing our main carbs with a healthier option.

I write occasionally because it’s not always easy to break away from your favorite carbs and food with extra fat but you can always try and take baby steps. here’s a recipe that would begin your journey towards healthier choices.

The best part of this recipe is that you are substituting rice with a whole grain, barley which changes this soup into a  wholesome and nutritious version of the same soup.

Whole grains are a great way to replace starchy rice, as Asians and Sri Lankans, we do love our rice and sometimes overindulge in it. so using barley as a replacement, is one way of making a healthier choice when it comes to food. 

How Barley benefits you.

Barley is a great source of vitamins and minerals, the grains will help in reducing your cholesterol levels, reduce chances of heart disease and maintain your blood sugar levels.

Kids won’t love it but…..

Recipes like this beef and barley soup is a good way of introducing them to wholesome food. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s difficult but try promising them to make one of their favorites next time if they at least finish a small bowl of this soup. 

I try to keep in mind that unless they’ve tried it at home, they’ll never even give it a taste if they have no idea what it is.

In my case, my youngest two were not familiar with barley and its chewy texture which took them a while to get used to, even then, they only a few spoonfuls but as I said earlier, they now know what barley is and there’s always the next time.

Ramadan the month of fasting…

As the month of fasting begins we tend to eat rice porridge(kanji) as we break fast, you can substitute the rice with barley for a healthier substitute. 

healthy beef and barley soup.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of oil

250g of Beef chunks cut into smaller portions for the soup

1 large Onion finely sliced

1 large carrots diced into cubes(2 if the carrot is medium-sized)

1 tablespoon of minced garlic(three garlic pods)

4 cups of Beef or vegetable stock

1 cup of barley

1-inch piece of Cinnamon

1-2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of fresh pepper powder

1/2- 1 cup of water(optional and only if you need to increase the amount of liquid)

Method

Place a deep pan over medium heat and pour in the oil.

Add the sliced onions, minced garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon and sauté for 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until the onions turn golden.

Include the cubed beef in the pan, and cook with the ingredients in the pan, season with salt and continue to cook for another 5 minutes over low-medium heat.

Add the diced carrots to the pan, cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat and pour in the broth.

Let the broth simmer for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, then add the barley to the broth. season with salt and pepper.

Let the barley simmer for 45 minutes to one hour or until the barley turn soft, you’ll know the barley is cooked when the grains cook and gain a cooked pasta like texture, chewy while the broth turns thick.

If the soup is too thick or the barley needs to be cooked more, add 1/2 to 1 cup of extra water.

Taste, season with salt and pepper if necessary, serve warm.