When your grain options are limited due to gluten sensitivity (goodbye, wheat, barley, rye and all of their forms), what is there left to eat? Still a lot, if you are really looking, but we have to gain where we have lost, don’t we? Adlai or also known as Job’s tears or pearl barley (because of it’s nice pearly shape) is a gluten-free grain you should add to your shopping list. It is a family of grasses where wheat and rice also come from but other than being gluten-free, it is also low in the glycemic index, so, better for your blood sugar than white rice.It also has a nice texture that is slightly chewy yet firm and al-dente to the bite–like rice shaped pasta grains.
How do you cook them? You can try this recipe right here! You can also add it to your salads, soup or stews. 🙂 Let’s get started!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups or 15 oz cooked Adlai grains
1 can of coconut milk , or ,milk expeller-pressed from 1 medium sized coconut
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
3 medium shallots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 chile (siling labuyo), de-stemmed, sliced and seeded
2 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
1 tsp curry powder
5 cups water
DIRECTIONS
Start by sauteing the onion until fragrant. Add the garlic, shallots and chile. Saute for another 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and then add the coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes and add adlai grains to the pot. Continue to simmer on low heat until tender, around 30 to 40 minutes.
You can choose to soak the adlai grains for at least half an hour before you start cooking to speed up the process. Once Adlai is tender, that’s it! Add some more sliced chiles on top or toasted coconut to add more interesting twist and crunch to the dish.
Enjoy with a side of meat or on it’s own as a nice vegan dish!
Gluten-Free Philippines 