Slow-cooked Barley and Mung Beans

Source: Ayurveda Kitchen

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 ¾ oz pearl barley

3 ½ oz mung beans

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 parsnip, diced

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves with skin left on

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

pinch of coursely ground black pepper

1 ½ pints water

2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

To garnish

handful of seasonal greens, such as dandelion, spinach, or pea shoots, roughly chopped

squeeze of lemon juice

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker in the order listed. Put the lid on the pot and cook on the lower setting for 8 hours. When cooked, most, if not all of the stock will have been absorbed by the barley.

When ready to serve, stir in some additional boiling water if it looks and tastes a little too dry, then mix in the chopped greens and reheat to warm and moisten. Add a squeeze of lemon to serve.

Notes

If you do not have a slow cooker, you can soak the beans and barley overnight for extra digestive comfort, then cook in the oven in a casserole pot. Cook at 340 deg F for 2-3 hours.

In the summer, substitute beetroot for the parsnip, or any other seasonal root vegetable.