Barley is not a cereal that I am very familiar with. It is not prominently displayed in either provision shops or supermarkets in North India. So it is never top-of-mind. But it was something that I always wanted to try. So I was delighted when I came across barley when I was ordering rice from an online store. I immediately ordered it. The next challenge – what to prepare with it. I searched high and low for a suitable recipe, but nothing grabbed me. So the barley lay around for months. Till my brother visited me. He explained that the simplest dish, also very tasty, to make was upma. Without further ado, we proceeded to make it – with wonderful results. The beauty about the dish is that one can add loads of different kinds of vegetables. So, it’s easy to use what you have on hand.

Ingredients
1 cup barley, washed thoroughly
1 tsp mustard seeds (sarson, kadugu)
1 tbsp split black lentils (urad dal, ulutham parupu)
1/4 cup raw peanuts
1” piece of ginger, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
1 sprig curry leaves
2 green chilis
1/4 cup fresh green peas
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped French beans
1 tomato, chopped
Unrefined salt to taste
2 cups water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
Method
Wash the barley thoroughly
Soak the barley for half an hour
Drain and set aside
Heat a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds
When they start spluttering, add split black lentils and peanuts
Add the ginger and garlic
Add the onion
Roast for about a minute till the lentils turn golden brown
Add curry leaves and green chilis
Add peas, carrots and beans
Saute for about a minute
Add the tomato
Add barley and salt
Add 2 cups of water
Mix well
Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles
Let the steam release naturally and open the lid
Mix well
Add the lemon juice
Garnish with coriander leaves
Mix again and serve hot with your favourite chutney
Enjoy,