Barley Bliss!

I found this recipe from the March 2014 edition of Food & Wine Magazine:

David Chang's Pearl Barley Porridge with Ham and Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• one 4x6 in piece of kombu
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup cooked smoked ham, chopped
• 2 cups pearled barley
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 eggs, poached
• thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

David Chang enjoying his porridge.

What's good about this recipe:

Barley is a delicious, and in my opinion, highly underrated grain. In this recipe David Chang elevates it into a savory and satisfying "porridge" great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Stock is so important to creating flavorful bean and grain dishes. In this recipe Chang brings the cider, broth and kombu to a boil and then allows the mixture to steep 40 minutes. This sweet, salty and savory combination creates amazing depths of flavor that I'll be sure to use in many dishes to come.

Simplicity. I love how simply and elegantly (yes, barley can be elegant) this dish turned out. With minimal ingredients full of flavor like kombu and soy sauce paired with simple items like onion and barley this dish was surprisingly sophisticated.

Cooked Barley

What I learned from this recipe:

Barley takes a lot more liquid to cook down into a porridge! Generally barley to liquid ratio is 1 cup barley per 3 cups liquid. In this recipe Chang only calls for 2 cups of liquid per 1 cup of barley. As a result I had to continually add water after all the stock had been cooked off. I would recommend doubling the stock amount (it's so good you could quadruple it and freeze the rest for another time) and using at least 3 cups liquid per 1 cup barley when cooking. 

Poached eggs are casually listed as an ingredient. I find this frustrating as it has taken me a lot of time and experimentation to perfect the technique of poaching eggs. Here are the important factors:

1. Shallow Water. You want just enough water in the pot to cover the egg.

2. Proper water temperature. You want to find the perfect balance between a boil and a simmer. If the water is at a rapid boil it will jostle the egg and deform the shape. If the water is not hot enough the egg white will not coagulate effectively.

3. White Vinegar. Vinegar helps set the egg protein in the water.

4. Put a lid on it. Once the egg is in the water, turn the heat down and cover.

Here's a quick video I made to demonstrate the method I find most effective:

Overall, I would definitely make this again. It's a wonderful dish to cook on a rainy spring day and makes enough for leftovers!