Pearl barley salad with cucumber and feta Recipe
Pearl barley salad is a more modern face of Polish cuisine – it uses traditional barley groats in a light, vegetable-based form. It works great as a work lunch or dinner. It’s a bit like a Greek salad, only instead of pasta or rice you have our homely pearl barley.
This salad combines traditional Polish pearl barley with fresh vegetables and feta, creating a filling but light dish. It’s perfect for meal prep, tastes good both at room temperature and chilled, and offers a pleasant balance of creamy, crunchy and tangy elements.
Chef's tips
Cook the barley al dente so it keeps its shape and doesn’t turn mushy in the salad. Let it cool completely before mixing with the vegetables, otherwise the cucumber and tomatoes will soften too much. If you’re packing it for work, keep the dressing in a separate container and add it just before eating.
How to serve
Serve in a large bowl as a main salad for lunch or as a colorful side at barbecues and picnics. It pairs well with grilled chicken, fish or halloumi, and with a glass of chilled lemonade or light white wine.
Ingredients
- pearl barley groats - 200 g
- fresh cucumber large greenhouse cucumber or 2 smaller field cucumbers - 1 piece
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- cherry tomatoes - 200 g
- feta cheese you can use Balkan-style cheese - 150 g
- onion - 0.5 piece
- parsley or dill chopped - 3 tablespoon
- oil - 4 tablespoon
- lemon juice freshly squeezed - 2 tablespoon
- garlic finely chopped or pressed - 1 clove
- salt to taste, carefully, because feta is salty
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve under running water. Transfer to a pot, cover with about 600 ml water, lightly salt and cook over low heat for about 20–25 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain any excess water if needed and set aside to cool.
- Wash the cucumber; if the skin is thick, you can peel it. Cut into medium dice. Wash the pepper, remove the core and seeds and dice it.
- Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into halves or quarters. Peel the red onion and slice it very thinly or dice finely.
- Cut the feta cheese into cubes about 1 cm or crumble it into smaller pieces with your fingers.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooled pearl barley with the cucumber, pepper, tomatoes, onion and feta cheese.
- In a small bowl, mix the oil or olive oil, lemon juice, chopped garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until you get a uniform dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, add the chopped parsley or dill and gently mix everything so as not to crush the cheese.
- Taste and, if needed, season with additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately or after chilling in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Storage
Sałatkę przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku w lodówce do 2 dni. Przed podaniem zamieszaj i ewentualnie dodaj odrobinę świeżego oleju lub soku z cytryny, bo kasza wchłania sos.
