Delicious Australia – (06)June 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY

NIGEL LOUGH

STYLING

KIRSTEN JENKINS

MERCHANDISING

EMMALY STEWART

Ona triptoIndia,MasterChefwinnerSashiCheliah

discoversthebeautyofbarleyand,backhome,

showcasesit in his version of a classic Italian dish.

FAIR GRAIN

@sashi_cheliah

TRAVELANDFOODgohandin handonmyholidays.I findjoyin learningabout
culturethroughwhatthelocalseat,andmyrecentjourneytoIndiahascertainly
broughtplentyofgreatmemories.I sampled street food, dined at fancy restaurants
andateeverythingin-between.
It wasa greatculinarytour,andonewhereI learntthatoneofancientIndia’s
staplecropsisn’tactuallyrice,butbarley,knownas‘jau’ in Hindi.Andwhilemost
Indianstodaywouldn’tthinktoincludethisancientgrainintheireverydaydiet,
manychefsaimtolurefoodiesintothishealthieroptionbyusingit in theirdishes.
Therearesomanyhealthbenefitstocookingwithbarley.Someoftheminclude
betterdigestionbecauseofthehigherlevelsoffibrefoundin thegrain,andit might
alsohelplowercholesterollevels.Thenthere’sthefactthatitsslightlynuttytaste
makesit theperfectingredientformorerobustdishes.It hasdefinitelyinspiredmeto
comeupwiththismonth’srecipe.I liketothink of it as a modern twist on Indian food,
andit’ssucha simple,heartydishtomake.
Yes,heritagegrainsaretrendy once again, so please try my saffron barley risotto;
I guarantee you will love it!

SAFFRONBARLEY RISOTTO

SERVES 4-6

2 tbsghee

2 eschalots,finelychopped

1 garlicclove,finelychopped

1 tspgroundcumin

350gsmallSwiss brown mushrooms,

trimmed

2 tbsunsaltedbutter

2 cups(400g)pearl barley

1 pinchsaffron

(^1) / 2 cup(125ml)whitewine
1.2Lhotvegetablestock
(^2) / 3 cup(50g)finelygrated parmesan,
plus extra to serve
PICKLEDREDONION
(^1) / 4 cup(55g)castersugar
(^1) / 2 cup(125ml)whitewine vinegar
5 tarragonsprigs
2 bayleaves
1 large red onion, sliced into rings
Forthepickledonion,placesugar,vinegar,
tarragon,bayleavesand^2 / 3 cup(165ml)
waterin a smallsaucepan.Bringtothe boil
overhighheat,stirringuntilsugar
dissolves.Placeonionringsin a heatproof
bowlandpouroverpicklingliquid.Stand
atroomtemperaturetocoolcompletely.
Heata large,deep,heavy-based
saucepanoverhighheat.Addghee
andheatfor 30 secondsoruntilmelted.
Addeschalotandcook,stirring,for
4-5minutesoruntilsoftened.Stirin
garlic,cuminandmushroom.Cookfor
4-5minutesoruntilmushroomis softened.
Stirin butter,barleyandsaffron,seasonto
tasteandcook,stirring,for3-4minutesor
untilbarleyis coatedin oil.Stirin wineand
cookuntilabsorbedbybarley.Reduce
heattomedium-lowandaddstock,
1 ladlefulata time,stirringgentlyuntilthe
barleyis cooked(about1 hour 40 minutes).
Removefromheat,stirthroughparmesan
andseasontotaste.Transfertobowls,top
withpickledonionandsprinkle with extra
parmesan to serve.
delicious.com.au/recipes
Formoresuper-tastyrecipes
from theMasterChef winner.
38 delicious.com.au
MASTERCHEF.