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Barley and Pancake/Dosa - health food

Barley is a versatile cereal grain. Its versatility allows us to pour in our creativity and cook something which suits our pallete.
There has been an increased awareness about health, healthy eating/diet these days. And we all are well aware of the fact that barley is a 'high fibre' grain. There are many health benefits of barley and I wish to share few of them.
1. Low Glycemic Index : Barley is a lowest glycemic grain. It has GI less than oatmeal. Pearl barley has a GI of 22. You can refer the GI index table at http://www.glycemicindex.com/ . It is beneficial to include in diet for diabetics and weight watchers.
2. High Fibre Content : Barley is rich in soluble fibre. Soluble fibre breaks down as it passes though the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps some substances related to high cholesterol. There is some evidence that soluble fibre may lessen heart disease risks by reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.
Soluble fibre may help control blood sugar by delaying gastric (stomach) emptying, retarding the entry of glucose into the bloodstream and lessening the postprandial (post-meal) rise in blood sugar.
3. Cardiovascular Disorder and Post Menopausal Women
Eating a serving of whole grains, such as barley, at least 6 times each week is a good idea, especially for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
4. Barley reduces the risk of colon cancer
For people worried about colon cancer risk, barley packs a double punch by providing the fiber needed to minimize the amount of time cancer-causing substances spend in contact with colon cells, plus being a very good source of selenium, which has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer significantly.
All the above information are fished from internet, and you can refer following websites to know more :

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GI of dosa is 55 in one study and 77 in the other. As I have said earlier, GI of a finished product is the combination of all the ingrediants. I believe that addition of barley to dosa would have reduced the GI. Goodness of eating barley in a way it is liked by all members of the family brings joy to cooking. Here you go with the recipe :
Parboiled Rice : 1/2 cup
Raw Rice (any rice like ponni, brown rice) : 1 cup
Urad Dal 1/2 cup
Barley: 1/2 cup
Fenugreek Seeds : 1tsp
Method :
1. Soak all ingrediants for 5 hours.
2.Grind urad dal till it is smooth and frothy.
3.Grind rice, barley and fenugreek seeds to smooth paste (I keep it a bit grainy)
4. Add salt and leave it to ferment in a tightly closed container for about 8 hrs
5. Pour a ladle full of batter on hot non stick tava / girdle. You can roast both the sides of pancake/dosa. remove it when the side facing the girdle is brown.
6. Remove and serve hot with cocnut chutney.
7. I have topped my dosa with vegetables and cheese to suit my little one's taste. Good way to make children eat vegetables!! two-in-one benefit! what say?
Enjoy your healthy dosa!!
Other healthy dosa's on Taste of Mysore :
This delicious Barley Dosa goes to Sri Who is hosting 'DOSA MELA' Do send your tasty crispy dosa's to her!!

12 comments:

FH said...

Barley dose really looks good and good for you too! Good post L.
You can send this to Sri's "Dosa Mela", would a great entry!:)

ServesYouRight said...

Bravo!! Great idea - I have barley flour in my fridge and have been scratching my head trying to come up with a good use for it! And you post has given me just the right inspiration!

Smita

Srivalli said...

Lakshmi, thanks for the healthy entry..

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

I didn't know this. Great idea. I have some barley in the kitchen. Will give this a try.

SPICE OF LIFE said...

great looking and super healthy dosa .....will have to buy barley just to try this out ;-)

Sia said...

thats one healthy combi lakshmi. i got to make something for sri :)

Sia said...

i saw ur recipe request for yellow cucumber huli in mangalore style. if you r talking of majjige huli here is the link. replace ash gourd with yellow cucumber and follow same method.

Annu said...

Thats nice entry dear........

Unknown said...

healthy addition to the regular dosa.. Nice picture..looks delicious..And also thanks for the useful info on barley..

srikars kitchen said...

healthy dish. it looks great. thxs

Lakshmi said...

@ All,
Thanks for coming by. Enjoy healthy dosa and do visit Sri's round up for more varieties of dosas.

Arundathi said...

I love barley! Gotta try this!