Cook's Hideout: Barley Pulihora (Lemon flavored Pearl Barley)

January 03, 2016

Barley Pulihora (Lemon flavored Pearl Barley)

Blogging Marathon# 60: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: Festival of the month Recipes
Dish: Barley Pulihora
I'm starting the first marathon of the year with recipes for 'Festival of the month' theme. I picked the first festival on the Hindu calendar, Sankranthi or Pongal. Makar Sankranthi is a harvest festival is celebrated all over India and even Nepal. The day is believed to mark the arrival of spring in India. It usually falls on the 14th of January and sometimes on the 13th or 15th January.
Lemon flavored Pearl Barley
In AP, where I grew up it is celebrated for 3 days. The first day is called 'Bhogi' when at dawn, people light a bonfire with wood logs and other solid fuels, representing the disposal of old habits, vices and so on. In the evening, infants and children are showered with Regi pallu (Indian jujube fruit). This is believed to wade of any evil from the kids. It is a time for the family to get together.

Lemon flavored Pearl Barley
Second day is 'Makara sankranthi' which is the actual day of the festival when people pray to god and make beautiful, colorful and ornate drawings on the ground with chalk or flour, called 'muggu' or 'rangoli' in front of the homes. A lot of traditional dishes are made on this day.
Third day is 'Kanuma' and this day is really special for the farmers because it is the day of praying and showcasing their cattle with honor. Kite flying is usually associated with sankranthi, the sky is adorned with colorful kites making it a scene to watch.
For the event, I've made some traditional dishes with healthy twists. First up is this Barley pulihora or Lemon flavored barley. Rice is generally used to make lemon rice but here I used some pearl barley. I also used meyer lemons which are more fruitier than regular ones.
Barley Pulihora
Barley Pulihora

Barley Pulihora
Ingredients:
  • 1cup Pearl Barley
  • 1tbsp Chana dal
  • 1tbsp Urad dal
  • 2tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 2~3 Green Chilies
  • 1" Ginger piece, finely grated
  • 2tbsp Peanuts
  • ½tsp Turmeric
  • 2tbsp Lemon juice
  • To taste Salt
  • ¼tsp Asafoetida/ Hing
  • 8~10 Curry leaves
Method:
  1. Cook Barley: Combine barley, pinch of turmeric, salt and 21/2 cups of water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer till barley is tender, about 35~45 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan, add chana, urad dal, peanuts and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilies, cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add the tempering to the cooked barley and season with salt. Add lemon juice and mix well to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Lemon flavored Pearl Barley

 
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 60.
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12 comments:

  1. Such a healthy and very interesting pulihora, just love the way you prepared this dish with this most hated whole grain.

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  2. Good to read about Makar Sankranti. Its sounds very much like Pongal. Lovely clicks as usual and I remember that bowl! :-)

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  3. I have never tried out barley for reice. This twist to lemon rice looks fabulous..

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  4. Wow ! That's a beautiful bowl ! The festival of Makar Sankranti has lots of traditional dishes, this one is new for me .

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  5. i am soooooo making this immdly !! using barley instead of rice is so healthy !! Nice to know we have similar traditions for sankranti /pongal including the Kanu festival :)

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  6. What a wonderful twist pavani..the bowl looks so delicious!

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  7. Barley pulihora looks wonderful and the clicks needless to say are always more beautiful.

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  8. Barely pulihora sounds so festive and great write up about sankaranti festival..

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  9. Loved the perfectly cooked barley in the pictures. Super healthy and filling too.

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  10. I am definitely making this! Love the grains of barley :)

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  11. I read the posts in the reverse order and loved all your festival related traditional dishes getting a makeover.

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  12. I have bookmarked this , probably for the next edition. Love the clicks!!

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