Thai Green Curry over Barley

As part of our quest to eat less wheat, I’m trying out new carbohydrates. So I got some pearl barley, which is a lovely, toothsome, gently nutty grain. I decided to use it as a bed for a spicy green curry. It could also be used instead of oats in a heartier porridge, or with beans or chickpeas, but do note that it takes over an hour to cook.

You can choose how much curry paste to add according to your taste. I add some of it to the barley and some of it to curry mixture to create more of an integrated taste, but many people prefer to only add the paste to the curry mixture. The same goes for the coconut milk. You can experiment with how much curry paste and how much coconut milk you use and whether you add those ingredients to the rice/barley/whatever other starch you use or to the protein mixture. You can also vary which protein/s and vegetables you use.

Ingredients:
80 g pearl barley
water
3 carrots
2 courgettes
oil
1 jar green curry paste
100 g spinach
tofu or other protein, as desired (chickpeas would also go well here)
1 tin coconut milk

Instructions:
1. Cook the pearl barley in the water in a pot according to the instructions on the packet. Note that it usually takes over an hour to cook, so start this part of the process in plenty of time, and not just when you are getting hungry.
2. Peel and slice the carrots into coins. When the barley is about 10 minutes from being cooked, add the carrots to it.
3. Slice the courgettes and fry them lightly in the oil. Add a few tablespoons of the curry paste and some of the spinach, and continue frying.
4. Add the rest of the spinach and more curry paste to the barley.
5. Add the tofu or other protein to the frying pan.
6. When the barley and carrots are almost ready and the water has cooked away, pour the coconut milk into the pot. Add more curry paste to taste.
7. Serve the courgette mixture over the barley.