Lentil Barley Soup Recipe aka Haleem’ish And Health Benefits of Barley

This Lentil Barley Soup made with Spices and Herbs is delicious. It is a recipe to feed a crowd. It is freezer-friendly too. Make the soup and eat it vegan or add meat during the week to change it all up. And you can add pretty much a handful of every lentil and bean into this and still come up with the most delicious concoction.

Pair this soup with spinach or kale or other greens, or any seasonal vegetable of choice. Or else you can serve it with a meat or chicken curry such as this The Chicken Stew , or this Goat Meat Stew make it an actual Haleem.

The Many Health Benefits of Barley.

Barley is an ancient grain, and a high yield and low maintenance crop. Archeologists have found evidence of Barley along the river Nile in Egypt, dating back at least 17,000 years. That is some extreme ancient grain as far as I am concerned. A lot of ancient cultures eat Barley in so many forms. Most religious scripture and the folklore and grandma’s anecdotes will tell you all of the benefits of Barley soups and bread. But I had to look it up at my usual “Scholarly” sources.

So here is the insider scoop from this one study,  regular consumption of whole grain unprocessed barley reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases. Barley contains a Super Fiber called β-glucan along with many useful phytochemicals and antioxidants. Barley is supposed to lower cholesterol and protects you from heart diseases.

There are many more potential health benefits of barley that are under study to prove that Barley combats common nutrition-related diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.

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Ok. Ok So before you start eating this soup every day to cure your diabetes and manage your cholesterol. First of all, Please do not do that. Eat even the good foods in moderation. Here is my standard reminder about the advice on the internet.

^{_{I am not playing doctor. Any advice you read on this blog cannot be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you are experiencing a health condition please reach out to a qualified healthcare professional. I repeat, do not use this blog as medical advice to treat yourself or others.}}

What do you need to make this Lentil Barley Soup recipe?

Ofcourse you need the Lentils and Barley. But to make it simpler let me give you an actual list. I usually have most ingredients on hand so use it all, but do not get intimidated by ingredient list. Use what you have in your pantry or order a few you will absolutely use eventually. The main ingredient is ofcourse lentils of your choice and Barley 🙂

1. Whole Grain Barley – 1 cup
2. All other lentils – Use any or all of Whole Red Lentils, Mung Beans, Urad Daal, Pigeon Peas(Toor Daal) and Chana Daal. – Altogether about 1 cup
3. Beans – Use Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Black Eyed Peas – Also altogether about 1 cup
4. Grated Ginger – 1/4 cup
5. Minced Garlic – 1/4 cup
6. Garam Masala – 1 tsp
7. Turmeric – 1 Tbsp
8. Salt and Pepper – to taste
9. (Optional) Bay leaves – 3
10. Cinnamon Stick – 1

How to cook Lentil Barley Soup?

Since you are starting with dried beans, this recipe requires advance preparation. I soak my beans and lentils for a few days, sometimes even with baking soda and citric acid to get the phytates out. (post for another day). You atleast need an hour of soaking time.

1. Take the Barley, Lentils and Beans in a mixing bowl as measured. You should have about 3 cups of dried ingredients at this time. Wash this mix a few times. And soak in plenty of water for upto 8 hours. Or more if you fancy. Change water every few hours if soaking longer duration.
2. An Instant pot makes this recipe easy to cook. Or else a Slow cooker might do too if you have one.
3. Once the beans-lentils-barley mix is all soaked up. Drain the water. Rinse a few times. And add to Instant pot.
4. Fill with about 10-12 cups of water. You may need to add more water later to get the soup consistency. But start with 2-3 times more water at this point.
5. Add all other ingredients.
6. Close the lid and start the Instant Pot on the Bean setting.
7. If using Slow Cooker – Cook on high for 8-10 hours.
8. After the Slow Cooker/Instant Pot shows done, Open the lid.
9. At this point, you can mix everything, give it a taste and set it aside in meal prep containers, and freeze.

Ok. So we are not done yet. You need some more ingredients and steps to actually eat this recipe. Read on..

How to eat Vegan Lentil Barley Soup?

So. While the Soup is cooking Steam your vegetables on the side, and Add to the soup. Or at the end, After you have separated what you want to use right then, you can add your vegetables and water to the soup and cook an additional 10 minutes on high pressure to get the vegetable soup.

Garnish for the Lentil Barley Soup – Cilantro, Lime juice, and Thinly Sliced Onions fried in ghee or butter. If you can tolerate the spicy, hot peppers add some thinly sliced Thai chilly peppers and grated ginger to the garnish as well.

How to make the Haleem – The Lentil Barley Soup with Meats?

Make a Curried Goat or Chicken Recipe such as these – Curried Goat, Goat Meat Stew, Easy Keema Saagwala (Easy Peasy Minced Meat With Spinach), Pepper Chicken or this The Chicken Stew.

Mix the Soup and Meat of choice. Add Water to get the desired Consistency you need in your soup.

Use the same garnish as above. Cilantro, Lime juice, and Thinly Sliced Onions fried in ghee or butter. If you can tolerate the spicy, hot peppers add some thinly sliced Thai chilly peppers and grated ginger to the garnish as well.

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I may have to dedicate an entire article to the health benefits of barley alone, but for now, here is what you do add Barley and various lentils and beans to your grocery list, and learn how to make this delicious lentil barley soup.

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AI Poetry of the day is:

Ah The Lentils and Barley,
 Soup is good for the soul,
 And good for those that are old,
 Its good for those who are young,
 Good for me, Good for you
 Good for everyone.

Jerry Seinfeld Experiment: Don’t break the chain. Post #90.