Ingrediënten
- 1,5 Veggie Protein Blocs
- 200 g cashew nuts
- 1.5 L yeast-free vegetable stock
- 250 ml white wine
- 250 g pearl barley
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 pinch fleur de sel (Amanprana)
- 1 pinch pepper
- 2 tsp seasoning mix (Amanprana ORAC Botanico mix)
- 4 tbsp coconut blossom sugar (Amanprana Gula Java Brut)
Preparation of pearl barley risotto recipe with a creamy vegetarian seitan stew
- Soak the cashew nuts for at least four hours in 600 ml of cold water, then purée in a blender to form a cashew nut cream.
- Peel the onions and garlic and cut into thin slices.
- Fry half of the onions and garlic with the seitan until brown, add a little fleur de sel and pepper and remove from the heat.
- Cover and set aside while you cook the risotto.
- Fry the remaining onions and garlic in a little olive oil, add the pearl barley and cook without allowing it to change colour.
- Deglaze the pot with the white wine, add half the cashew nut cream and cook, stirring continuously.
- When the pearly barley starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, add some vegetable stock and continue to stir.
- Repeat this process until the barley risotto is al dente.
- Season to taste with a little fleur de sel, pepper and seasoning mix, and keep the risotto warm.
- Return the seitan to the frying pan to reheat.
- Deglaze the pan with a dash of white wine, then add the remaining cashew nut cream.
- Allow to simmer until you have a nice creamy sauce.
- Add the coconut blossom sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Season to taste and serve with the risotto. Bon appetit!
Tip of Stefano:
Hulled barley, pot barley and pearl barley What’s the difference? Different barley types explained
Hulled barley is made by removing the outer husk from the barley kernel, while pot barley is made by lightly polishing hulled barley. So pot barley is just more refined hulled barley. Barley used to be a popular grain, but is now mainly eaten by animals as an ingredient in animal feed. However, we use barley more often than many people think, since it’s one of the key ingredients in beer. So what’s pearl barley? To make pot barley, around 15% of the kernel is ground away. For pearl barley, closer to 30% of the kernel is ground away, making it nice and round like a pearl.
Cooking pearl barley. What’s the best way to do it? Ideally in a risotto
Pearl barley is a great substitute for risotto rice. If you’re trying to choose between pearl barley, pot barley and hulled barley, the latter is the most wholegrain version, with a very firm texture. The softest and most delicate is pearl barley, with pot barley somewhere in the middle. All types of barley take quite a long time to cook. It’s best to soak barley in advance, preferably overnight. After soaking, bring the barley to the boil and leave to simmer for at least an hour, preferably two or three. There are plenty of possibilities for faster meals with each of the different types of barley, and there are also pre-cooked varieties available. Always check the packaging to find out the best way to cook each particular type of barley. In any case, it’s worth the trouble and the time spent on preparation, because barley is certainly yummy! This recipe uses pearl barley as a substitute for traditional risotto rice.