Brown Rice and Barley Salad with Sprouted Red Lentils and Green Beans
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Ingredients
- ⅓cup barley
- Salt to taste
- ½cup brown rice (short or long -grain)
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1tablespoon mayonnaise
- ¼cup plain yogurt
- 1teaspoon curry powder
- ½teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground
- ¼teaspoon mild chili powder
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- ¼cup grapeseed oil
- 2tablespoons split red lentils, soaked for 2 hours or longer in water to cover and drained (¼ cup soaked)
- 1cup diced European or Japanese cucumber
- 3ounces green beans, blanched for 4 minutes and cut in 1-inch lengths (about ½ cup)
- 1small green pepper, either sweet or hot, cut in small dice
- ¼cup raisins or finely diced plums or pluots
- 2tablespoons chopped chives
- ¼cup chopped cilantro
- 2teaspoons nigella seeds
For the Grains
For the Dressing
For the Salad
Preparation
- Step 1
To cook barley, bring 1 quart water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan, add salt to taste and barley. Boil like pasta for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender (some stores now sell par-boiled barley, which takes 15 to 20 minutes – not the 10 minutes that the package says to cook it). Turn off heat, drain, return barley to the pot, cover pot with a towel and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes or longer.
- Step 2
While barley is cooking, cook rice in another saucepan. Combine with 1 cup and plus 2 tablespoons water and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until water has been absorbed by the rice. Turn off heat, cover pot with a dish towel and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes or longer.
- Step 3
Transfer cooked barley and rice to a bowl (you should have 2½ to 3 cups cooked grains) and toss with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Allow to cool if desired.
- Step 4
Make dressing. In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, ground cumin, chili powder, lemon juice, salt, and grapeseed oil. The mixture should be creamy. Taste and adjust salt.
- Step 5
Combine all of the salad ingredients except the nigella seeds and toss with dressing. Transfer to a platter, a salad bowl or individual plates. Sprinkle nigella seeds over each serving.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Deserves its 5 stars. Really good dressing. Adding more raisins or plums won’t hurt.
I'm confused by the direction to allow the lentils "to begin to sprout."
This salad of humble ingredients when combined creates an elegant salad. I used sprouted barley because I love the enhanced nutrition, and used an elongated green pepper whose name I can’t remember and celery ‘cos that’s what I had. I love the yogurt/ mayonnaise dressing with Indian spices, and the undercurrent of sweetness from the dried plums. Thank you.
This extremely unusual combination of ingredients adds up to a really delicious salad.
This was really lovely and made a great salad to bring to work: I love Martha's whole-grain salads. I made it with farro rather than brown rice, since that was what I had on hand, as well as the last vegetables from the farmstand: kohlrabi, cucumber, and roasted broccoli. A great template that's very flexible and adaptable with the seasons and what you have on hand, and very satisfying and flavorful.
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