Curried Red Wheat-berry Salad

Ever since both my kids left for college, I have been trying to eat as healthily as I can and that means eating only whole grains.  Also, now that I am cooking for much fewer people (it’s just my husband and I at home), I have resorted to cooking one dish meals.  So any dish that tastes good and still covers all the nutritional bases – a balance of protein, carbs, vitamins, fiber etc… is perfect!  I have been experimenting with lentils, quinoa, couscous, barley and wheat-berry.  I especially like wheat-berry because it is extremely filling, tastes good and is easy to make. This Curried Red Wheat-berry Salad is crunchy, flavored with curry powder and combined with nuts and veggies to make a great one-dish meal.


Ingredients:

1.    1 cup of Red Wheat-berry (I bought it from the bulk food section of Whole Foods)
2.    ½ red bell pepper
3.    ½ green bell pepper
4.    ½ yellow bell pepper
5.    ½ medium sized yellow onion
6.    2 teaspoons of curry powder (I used McCormick brand)
7.    2-3 tablespoons of raisins
8.    2-3 tablespoons of shelled walnuts
9.    ¼ cup dried coconut flakes
10.    Juice of ½ fresh Lime
11.    1.5 tablespoons of Honey

12. tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
13.    Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Wash the Red Wheat-berry grains in cold water.


2.    Boil 4 cups of water in a pot and add the washed wheat-berry grains to the pot and let them cook over low heat for an hour or until the grains are cooked and softened (the time may vary slightly depending upon each batch of grain).
3.    While the grains are getting cooked, peel the onion and dice it in small pieces.
4.    Also dice the colored bell peppers.


5.    In a small nonstick skillet, add ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and start heating the skillet on medium heat.
6.    Add the diced onions and peppers to the skillet and let them cook for 6-8 minutes, while stirring them constantly.
7.    When the vegetables are cooked but still slightly crunchy, switch the heat off and add the raisins and walnuts to the hot pan and stir again.


8.    Also add the curry powder to the hot pan of veggies and stir.


9.    When the wheat berry grains are cooked, drain out the water and add the grains to the pan of cooked vegetables.


10.    In another skillet lightly toast the coconut flakes on low heat for 2-3 minutes.

11.    Add the toasted coconut flakes pan of vegetables and wheat-berry grains.


12.    To make the dressing whisk together the following ingredients: honey, lime juice, the remaining amount of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.


13.    Pour the dressing over the warm salad and stir.
14.    Serve this dish warm, at room temperature or chilled.

109

 

Related Posts

comments

  1. Permalink Submitted by Shilpa Patel on Wed, 26/09/2012 - 23:17

    yum! This would work well with kasha as well.

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Thu, 27/09/2012 - 14:08

      hi Shilpa – that is a great idea – will try that out soon 🙂

  2. Permalink Submitted by Nicky on Sat, 26/10/2013 - 00:58

    what a spectacular receipe! I was given a package of kamut as a gift from a friend. I had never made kamut before but I had tried curried wheat berry salad at wholefoods and loved it. I am very excited to find your receipe and make it. The taste is simply superb! I love the soft crunchy quality of the kamut, the kick of the curry, sweetness of the peppers and raisins. This receipe is a masterpiece and I’m so happy to discover it. I am vegetarian and this recipe will be part of my files for many years to come, Thank you Shabnam, for your kindness and hospitality. Your recipe is so easy to follow with the photos and step by step instructions. Now I am eager to try your other receipes as well. I would like to learn how to make Dosai the Indian pancake as well. Im embarrassed to admit this, but I go to the Indian store and buy it frozen and heat it up in a skillet. I guess after reading your short bio on this website, I should venture out and try to make the foods that I love as well. What a rich history you have with your travels, law background and experimentation in the kitchen. My husband is sometimes reluctant to try my foods but when I tell him that I followed a good receipe then he will try it. I imagine your husband and children like your cooking as well. It is a challenge sometimes with kids because they are picky eaters. Anyway, thanks again dear for your magnificent receipe. God bless you and take care.

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Sat, 26/10/2013 - 14:31

      Hi Nicky – YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY YOUR COMMENT MADE ME!!!!!! In my 20 months of running this blog – I have not received any comment as nice as yours!!!! I am on cloud 9 now 🙂 As you may know, this blog is just a labor of love and I don’t get paid a dime for it, but it is a great creative outlet for me and through it I have met very interesting people (like you!) and made good friends all over the world.
      This recipe that you like is one of my first few recipes and I have no idea how you found it. But yes, it is a great healthy, vegetarian and delicious recipe. I actually grew up in a partially vegetarian family (my mom is a die-hard vegetarian and my Dad was a hunter and ate possible anything that had legs, wings or fins) and now my 21 yrs old daughter prefers to be vegetarian – this is why you may find I lot of vegetarian dishes on my website. Just type in the word “vegetarian” on the top right corner in the “search” column and you’ll find a wide variety. Also I have a facebook page – FlavorNspice and if you are on fb, you can receive updates on whatever I post next.
      Also, I do make Indian Dosai at home but it is a long cumbersome process (the rice and lentils have to be soaked overnight, then ground to a fine batter, then left to ferment for another 24 hrs or so…it takes forever! So I too get lazy and buy the frozen kinds from an Indian grocery store in my area (I live in Washington DC). The best brand is one called “DEEP” (not the English deep – as in the deep sea, but the Indian Deep – which means an oil lamp or light of any sort) – you’ll see the sign of an Alladin style lamp on the box. The best way to heat these is thaw them in a microwave for a bit and then crisp them up on both sides on a non stick pan or iron griddle. These even come with a small sachet of coconut chutney.
      Thank you for your positive feedback – I am so thrilled by it and overwhelmed by your kindness. I hope you’ll continue to stay in touch and let me know if you try any more of my recipes. Also, tell me about yourself – I’d love to hear more about you (you can send me a message via fb or an email if you so prefer).
      xoxo – Shabnam

add new commentLeave a Reply to Shilpa Patel