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 :

1. http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/H/usda934.html

2. http://www.diabetes.ca/section_about/fibre.asp

3. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127

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 :

Brown Rice Uttappam

This delicious Barley Dosa goes to Sri Who is hosting 'DOSA MELA' Do send your tasty crispy dosa's to her!!