Easy Peasy Barley (Coixseed) Soup
I adore mushroom barley soup. When I had to go gluten free, I was afraid that barley was permanently a thing of the past. Meet your new favorite grain: Job’s Tears AKA “coixseed.” I learned about Job’s Tears entirely by accident. It is often mislabelled in Asian stores as Pearl Barley, but it isn’t actually barley at all.
I found coixseed at my local Asian market. Here are some pictures of the packaging. Notice it says Pearl Barley. Be sure to squeeze it before you buy it, because it is also sold puffed, like puffed rice, and you want the solid grain!
You can see the difference between Job’s Tears and Pearl Barley here:
The jury is out weather to soak them or not, so take your pick. If you soak them, soak for 30 minutes. I didn’t do this in the recipe below and it turned out as my favorite soup of the season.
Easy Peasy Cioxseed (Gluten Free Barley) Soup
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP Coconut Oil
- 1 CUP Chopped Fennel bulb
- 1 CUP Chopped Carrots
- 1 CUP Chopped Celery
- 6 CUPS Vegetable Broth
- 1 CUP Coixseed
- 1 can Coconut milk optional if you want low fat
Instructions
-
Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the fennel, carrots, celery and sauté until the fennel is tender and almost transparent. Pour in the broth and add the coixseed and stir. Bring to the bowl, then reduce the heat to low.
-
Cover and simmer until the Job's tears are tender, about 50 minutes.
-
Stir in coconut milk.
-
Season with any salt, pepper, paprika, berbere spice or a pinch of cayenne your senses may delight in!
Recipe Notes
You can use any nut milk you choose.
I think adding sautéed mushrooms at the end would be heavenly.
You could serve this over steamed veggies, any other grain you like or serve on its own.
Because it is so thick, it substitutes well as a gravy over roasted sweet potato slices or fries.