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Brown Rice and Barley Salad with Sprouted Red Lentils and Green Beans

5.0(75)

This hearty salad, dressed with a creamy, spicy dressing, can be made with a number of different grains. I’ve been making iterations of this hearty whole grain salad tossed with a creamy, curry-spiced dressing since my earliest days of vegetarian cooking. My choice of grains for this version was a function of what I found in my pantry and my refrigerator: -- enough brown rice and barley to combine for a salad but not enough for a more substantial dish. Farro or spelt would also work. The split red lentils, soaked just long enough to soften and begin to sprout, contribute color and texture along with their grassy flavor. Tossing the grains with lemon juice while they’re still warm intensifies the flavors in the salad.

by Martha Rose Shulman·published 2014-09-02

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Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Servings

Serves 6

Total time

—

Calories / serving

249 kcal

Ingredients (20)

serves

1/3 cup barleybarley
Salt to tastesalt
1/2 cup brown rice (short or long -grain)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juicelemon-juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaisemayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurtyogurt
1 teaspoon curry powdercurry
1/2 teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, groundcumin
1/4 teaspoon mild chili powder
2 tablespoons lemon juicelemon-juice
Salt to tastesalt
1/4 cup grapeseed oilgrapeseed-oil
2 tablespoons split red lentils, soaked for 2 hours or longer in water to cover and drained (1/4 cup soaked)
1 cup diced European or Japanese cucumbercucumber
3 ounces green beans, blanched for 4 minutes and cut in 1-inch lengths (about 1/2 cup)green-beans
1 small green pepper, either sweet or hot, cut in small dicebell-pepper
1/4 cup raisins or finely diced plums or pluotspluot
2 tablespoons chopped chiveschive
1/4 cup chopped cilantrocilantro
2 teaspoons nigella seedsnigella-seeds

01To cook barley, bring 1 quart water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan, add salt to taste and barley. Boil like pasta for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender (some stores now sell par-boiled barley, which takes 15 to 20 minutes – not the 10 minutes that the package says to cook it). Turn off heat, drain, return barley to the pot, cover pot with a towel and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes or longer.
02While barley is cooking, cook rice in another saucepan. Combine with 1 cup and plus 2 tablespoons water and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until water has been absorbed by the rice. Turn off heat, cover pot with a dish towel and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes or longer.
03Transfer cooked barley and rice to a bowl (you should have 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked grains) and toss with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Allow to cool if desired.
04Make dressing. In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, ground cumin, chili powder, lemon juice, salt, and grapeseed oil. The mixture should be creamy. Taste and adjust salt.
05Combine all of the salad ingredients except the nigella seeds and toss with dressing. Transfer to a platter, a salad bowl or individual plates. Sprinkle nigella seeds over each serving.