Barley Cucumber Salad | Summer Barley Salad

Barley Cucumber Salad is just perfect for a hot summer afternoon, and it takes less than 10 minutes to make if you have pre-cooked barley.

A couple of weeks back, when I made the Korean Barley Tea / Bori-Cha, I had mentioned in the post that I had a salad recipe coming that I made with the barley that I used to make the tea.

This Barley Cucumber Salad / Summer Barley Salad is the perfect way to use the barley that we boiled to make the Bori-Cha.

The barley I used to seep the tea was almost cooked. After draining almost all the water to use as the Korean Barley Tea, I left a little in the pot to further cook the barley.  I used this cooked barley to make the quick Barley Cucumber Salad that is just perfect for a hot summer afternoon.

I used Bob's Red Mill Pearl barley, and it cooks fairly quickly. The texture of the barley in this salad is just amazing and also makes the salad quite filling.

I kept the dressing very simple and served the salad chilled. The flavors are even better when we make the salad a little ahead of time and serve it chilled.

Why choose barley?

Barley is an amazing grain that has a lovely chewy texture. Barley has many health benefits. It contains antioxidants that help fight inflammation. It is caffeine-free and helps in digestion and overall Gastrointestinal health. I used toasted barley in this recipe as I was using the barley from the Bori-Cha.

I am glad that I got to use the toasted barley because the flavor of the toasted barley was even better. If making this salad by itself, I would still recommend toasting the barley and then cooking it until soft and using it in the salad.

The rest of the ingredients that go into the salad depend on what you have in the refrigerator. I had some seedless Persian Cucumbers and used them in the salad along with tomatoes, red onions, and some fresh herbs from the garden.

It is so awesome to have a backyard garden, and I love summer to start using my produce from the backyard. I used my first batch of cilantro and mint from the garden to use in the Barley Cucumber Salad.

I am hosting Srivalli's Kid's Delight event this week, and the theme for this month is Summer Salads. You can find the event announcement and rules to participate in the event in my Event Post. This is my second salad recipe for the event after the Buttered Sweet Corn Salad yesterday.

Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 40 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy

Ingredients needed

• Pearl Barley - ½ cup
• Water - 1 ¼ cups
• Cucumber - 1 cup (finely chopped)
• Red onions - ¼ cup (finely chopped)
• Tomatoes - ½ cup (seeds removed and chopped)
• Cilantro - 3 tablespoon (finely chopped)
• Mint - 3 tablespoon (finely chopped)

For the dressing

• Dijon Mustard - 1 TBSP
• Red wine Vinegar - 2 TBSP
• Olive Oil - 2 TBSP
• Honey - 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper - to taste
• Lemon Juice - 1 TBSP

Step-by-step process

Cook the barley

• Roast the barley in a pan until golden brown and aromatic. This takes about 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat.
  
• Add the water and let it come to a boil.
  
• Once the water comes to a boil, simmer and cover the pan. Let the barley cook until all the water has evaporated and the barley is soft. This will take about 25 to 30 minutes.
  
• If you feel that the barley is still not cooked and the water has all evaporated, add a little bit more water and cook further.
  
• Let the barley cool down to room temperature.

Make the Salad Dressing

• Combine all the ingredients mentioned in a bowl and whisk well. Check for salt and pepper and adjust.

Make the Salad -

• Chop all the vegetables and add them to a large bowl.
  
• Add the cooked and cooled barley to the same bowl and gently mix to combine.
  
• Add the chopped herbs, and then pour the dressing over the salad and mix.

• Serve right away or chill until ready to serve. The barley summer salad works great for picnics and potlucks.

Expert tips

• Toast the barley before cooking. This gives a nutty flavor that is amazing in a salad.
• This barley salad tastes much better when served chilled. Make it ahead and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.
• Add more vegetables like bell pepper, broccoli, and so on as per your liking.
• I have used barley cooking water to make barley tea which is very healthy.

Frequently asked questions

Other Salad Ideas

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Recipe

Barley Cucumber Salad | Summer Barley Salad

Barley is an amazing grain that has a lovely chewy texture. I used Bob's Red Mill Pearl barley and they cook fairly quickly. The texture of the barley is this salad is just amazing and also makes the salad quite filling.

5 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cucumber Salad, Main Course, Salad, Summer Recipe

Cuisine: American

Diet: Low Fat

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 179kcal

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

• ▢
  pan
• ▢
  Cooking spoon
• ▢
  bowl
• ▢
  plate

Ingredients

To make Barley Cucumber Salad -

• ▢ ½ cup Pearl Barley
• ▢ 1¼ cup Water
• ▢ 1 cup Cucumber finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup Red onions finely chopped
• ▢ ½ cup Tomatoes seeds removed and chopped
• ▢ 3 tablespoon Cilantro finely chopped
• ▢ 3 tablespoon Mint finely chopped

For the dressing -

• ▢ 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Red wine Vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Honey
• ▢ to taste Salt
• ▢ to taste Pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Instructions

To Cook the Barley -

• Roast the barley in a pan until golden brown and aromatic. This takes about 5 to 6 minutes in medium heat.
• Add the water and let it come to a boil.
• Once the water comes to a boil, simmer and cover the pan. Let the barley cook until all the water has evaporated and the barley is soft. This will take about 25 to 30 minutes.
• If you feel that the barley is still not cooked and the water has all evaporated, add a little bit more water and cook further.
• Let the barley cool down to room temperature.

To Make the Salad Dressing -

• Combine all the ingredients mentioned in a bowl and whisk well. Check for salt and pepper and adjust.

To Make the Salad -

• Chop all the vegetables and add it to a large bowl.
• Add the cooked and cooled barley to the same bowl and gently mix to combine.
• Add the copped herbs and then pour the dressing over the salad and mix.
• Serve right away or chill until ready to serve. The salad works great for summer picnics and potlucks.

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 367IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!