This Indian-style Vegetable and Pearl Barley Soup recipe is light, healthy, full of flavor, and filling made in the Instant Pot pressure cooker or stovetop. Perfect for either dinner or lunch and is vegan.
Experts advise including seasonal fruits, vegetables, dal, and plenty of water in our daily diets to maintain our overall health. Besides, it is important to consume cereals too.
Barley is one such nutrient-enriched cereal choice. It is one of India's oldest cereals, also known as Jau in Hindi. This cereal is used in many dishes, including soups, salads, and breads. Here's a recipe for a tasty soup that makes use of barley's benefits along with a few other ingredients.
Dhwani, my daughter, adores having it in the evening. It also keeps her healthy and warm. The finest aspect? The soup gets the ideal crunch from the vegetables. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s start with the recipe. Read below
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Pearl Barley Healthy benefits
Barley is a versatile grain with a somewhat chewy consistency and a slightly nutty flavor that complements many dishes.
It’s also rich in nutrients and packs some impressive health benefits, ranging from improved digestion and weight loss to lower cholesterol levels and a healthier heart.
- Whole grain barley contains various vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial plant compounds. Soaking or sprouting your barley can improve the absorption of these nutrients.
- Barley’s high fiber content helps food move through your gut and promotes a good balance of gut bacteria, both of which play important roles in digestion.
- The type of insoluble fiber found in barley may prevent the formation of gallstones, helping your gallbladder function normally and reducing your risk of surgery.
- Whole-grain barley may help improve insulin production and reduce blood sugar levels, both of which may reduce the likelihood of type 2 diabetes. - Source Healthline.
How to Make Vegetable Barley Soup in Instant Pot
Firstly, wash and rinse the Barley, and keep it aside.
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it’s hot, add bay leaf, minced garlic, and onions and saute for 2-3 minutes till onions soften.
Add carrot, red bell pepper, tomato, green peas, sweet corn, pearl barley, and dry spices like turmeric, ground cumin, curry, or garam masala powder into the pot.
Then, pour vegetable stock or water into the Instant pot along with some salt and black pepper.
Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, Quick Release(QR). Open the lid.
Lastly, squeeze some lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Stir it all up.
Indian Style Vegetable Barley Soup is ready to enjoy!
Stovetop Pot Method
I haven’t tried this recipe personally on the stovetop, but you can follow the same steps as the instant pot in a pot and cook covered for about 35-40 minutes until the Barley is cooked to your liking.
Serving suggestions for Barley Soup
Serve Pearl barley soup with crusty bread or serve it for lunch or dinner with a sandwich.
Recipe FAQs
Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Yes, Barley soup with vegetables freezes well. However, the texture of Barley after freezing may not be the same as when it’s freshly made.
Before freezing, allow the soup to cool completely and then portion the soup into zip-lock freezer bags or freezer-safe containers—Thaw in the refrigerator and heat in a saucepan.
Follow the same process instead of Indian spices or curry powder. Add some fresh thyme and Italian seasoning.
Green leafy veggies like Spinach, Kale, Swiss chard, and mustard greens work, and stir greens until wilted after pressure cooking.
No, this vegetable barley soup is not gluten-free because it contains Barley.
No, you don’t have to soak Barley before adding it to the soup, but soaking has its benefits.
- Reduces the cooking time, and soup will be ready in less time.
- It neutralizes phytic acid in the barley grain. Phytic acid interferes with the absorption of minerals and nutrients, so soaking the Barley will boost the nutrition of the soup.
Variations
- You can add other vegetables like celery, potatoes, pumpkin, and zucchini.
- For more protein, add cannellini beans, edamame beans, green lentils, or chickpeas along with barley
- You can also add greens like spinach, kale, and mustard greens.
- If you want it to be spicier and curry style, add 1 can of 14 oz diced tomatoes or sauce.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Broccoli Spinach Soup
- Cream of Asparagus Soup
- Vegetable Lentil Quinoa Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 large carrot diced into ½ inch pieces
- ½ red bell pepper diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 large tomato diced OR (1 tablespoon tomato paste)
- 1 cup green peas frozen
- ½ cup sweet corn frozen
- ¾ cup pearl barley rinsed
- salt to taste
- black pepper powder to taste
- 5-6 cups water or vegetable stock
- juice of half lemon
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (cilantro)
Dry Spices:
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala powder
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Firstly, wash and rinse the Barley, keep aside.
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot, add bay leaf, minced garlic, onions and saute for 2-3 minutes till onions soften.
- Add carrot, red bell pepper, tomato, green peas, sweet corn, pearl barley, dry spices like turmeric, ground cumin, curry, or garam masala powder into the pot.
- Then pour vegetable stock or water into the Instant pot along with some salt and black pepper.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes.When the instant pot beeps, Quick Release(QR). Open the lid.
- Lastly, squeeze some lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Stir it all up.
- Vegetable Barley Soup is ready to enjoy!
Stovetop Pot Method:
- Follow same steps as instant pot in a pot and cook covered for about 35-40 minutes until the barley and vegetables are cooked to your liking
Notes
Variations:
- You can add other vegetables like celery, potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini.
- For more protein add cannellini beans, edamame beans, green lentils, or chickpeas along with barley
- You can also add greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens orchard.
- If you want it to be more spicy and curry style add 1 can 14 oz diced tomatoes or sauce.
Nutrition
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Anita says
Absolutely lovely. Added some Bombay potatoes I made to it. Beautiful filling meal. We all loved it. Thank you!
Bhavana Patil says
Thank you so much, Anita 🙂 Thank you for trying out the recipe and sharing your feedback, have a good day 🙂
MJ says
This soup was delicious and so easy to make, I did add a can of diced tomatoes and used edamame beans. Loved this and will definitely make it again. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Bhavana Patil says
Hi Mj, I am so glad you liked the recipe. Thank you for sharing the other variations you added.