Mushroom + Hulled Barley "Risotto" with Seitan Strips
Barley that holds its chew through every reheat, cooked risotto-style with deeply browned mushrooms and pan-crisped seitan on top.
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 50–60 min
- Tags
- high-fiber · whole-grain · high-protein · vegetarian · meal-prep
Method
A risotto with a spine. Hulled barley takes its time — 50–60 minutes — but unlike pearl barley it keeps its chew through every reheat, which makes it the rare risotto you can batch-prep. Deeply browned mushrooms do the flavour work, and pan-crisped seitan strips on top bring the protein.
Method
1. Mushrooms
Brown the sliced mushrooms hard in oil — deeply, in batches if needed — until they’ve given up their water and taken on real colour. Pale mushrooms make a pale risotto.
2. Toast
Add the hulled barley and toast it in the pan for 2 minutes, stirring to coat.
3. Stock
Add the hot vegetable stock a ladle at a time, stirring, letting each one absorb before the next, until the barley is tender with a chew — ~50–60 minutes. The hands-off version is fine too simmer freely in generous stock and drain; the barley forgives you.
4. Finish
Beat in the parmesan and butter until glossy.
5. Seitan Strips
Pan-crisp the seitan strips in a little oil until browned at the edges and pile them on top.
Notes
- Hulled barley takes 50–60 minutes — longer than pearl — but it holds its chew through reheats, which is exactly why it's the batch-prep grain. Pearl barley goes mushy on day two.
- Hands-off version — skip the ladle-by-ladle routine and just simmer the barley freely in generous stock, then drain. You lose some of the creaminess, gain an hour of your evening.
- Whole-grain note — barley is the other whole-grain portion of the week alongside black rice. A serving is roughly ¾–1 cup cooked; the fiber count means a modest bowl is genuinely filling.
- Diet note — the seitan strips bring the protein, the barley brings the fiber. Together they cover both numbers in one plate.