Electric Lunchbox #80: OTHER GRAINS – Pearl Barley, Job’s Tears (Adlai), and Brown Rice

We are on the last week of 2020! Starting your New Year’s resolution early? I have 3 new grains that you can have instead of rice to help with your “eat better” resolution!

A lot of you have been asking me if I made alternative grains in the ELB. I usually do not, as I have several different cookers that do this very efficiently.

The one I use most often for beans and other grains that require a long cooking time is a thermal cooker. I have 2 of these, a Zojirushi and a Shuttle Chef, both of which are made in Japan. It looks like a cooking pot within another pot. It’s easy to use, you boil your food in the inner pot on the stove and after the contents come to a full boil, you just place it in the outer thermal pot and leave for as long as you need to. No electricity, no gas. It keeps cooking even if you leave it overnight but doesn’t overcook everything to a mush. Very efficient.

However, all these requests did pique my curiosity as I do see the usefulness of using the ELB for little portions.

So here it is! I do have more whole grains that I use regularly like rye, kamut, and hulled barley etc. so wait for those too! 😊 I will post it if it is doable in the ELB.

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1. Pearl Barley

Perfectly cooked Barley!

This is the brand I had in the pantry at the moment. I usually order 25 pound bags from Azure Standard, but the delivery is only once a month and it hasn’t arrived yet.

To prepare Pearl Barley:

1. Measure 1 ELB cup pearl barley into your ELB bowl. The medium or large ELB bowl is good for this. Rinse the grains and drain.

2. Add water. If you want your barley not too soft, (like if adding the cooked barley to soup later) 1 full ELB cup of water is enough. Add 2 ELB cups of water if you want the grains softer.

3. Place the bowl in the ELB base, then add 3 ELB cups water to the base. Cover and let steam until it shuts off, about 1 hour.

4. Check the grains for doneness. Add more water to steam longer if needed. You might have to drain any left over water if you used more than a 1:1 ratio.

5. Fluff the grains and serve hot.

2. Job’s Tears

Job’s Tears/Adlai also known as coix seed, Chinese pearl barley, or hato mugi in Japanese, can be found in well stocked Chinese, Korean, or Japanese groceries here in Southern California. It is grown and consumed in different forms in Asia.

They do look like pearl barley, but they are rounder, kind of heart shaped, and have a more distinct flavor.

To prepare Job’s tears:

1. Add 1 ELB cup of Job’s tears in the ELB bowl. Both the medium or large ELB bowl can be used. Rinse well and drain.

2. Add 2 ELB cups of water to the bowl. Place the bowl in the ELB base and add 3 ELB cups of water to the base. Cover and let steam until it shuts off, about 1 hour.

3. Check the grain for doneness and drain if needed. Add more water to steam longer if needed.

4. Fluff and serve hot.

3. Brown Rice

This is the less processed version of white rice, with more fiber and nutrients. Brown rice is the whole grain rice with just the inedible outer hull removed. White rice is the same grain without the hull, the bran layer, and the cereal germ. Brown rice does need more water and time to cook well but is more chewy and flavorful than plain white rice.

To prepare brown rice:

For brown rice, You can use the medium or large ELB bowl. I use the large one most of the times I tested though, as it needs more water and I do not want water overflowing into my ELB base.

1. Place 3 ELB cups of brown rice in the large ELB bowl. Rinse well and drain.