Mochi Mugi Gohan Japanese Style Glutinous Pearled Barley, 21.1 oz (600g) bag, 1.76oz x 12 servings, vegan. Barley grain, easy to cook. Product of Japan. Pearl barley for rice and soup. 12 sticks.

This is listed as glutinous rice and it's a very small pearled barley grain in premeasured packets. It cooks up about the same time as Japanese short grain rice; if you don't have a "mixed rice" setting on your rice cooker, the regular setting will work as well (it's about a five minute difference in cooking time.) The grains are so fine that they are almost indistinguishable in the cooked rice; only the small line in the middle (which I think in Japanese gets called a funny name like fundoshi.)Barley has much more fiber (soluable and insoluable) than rice. It is also supposed to be less glycemic but if you are mixing with rice, that benefit is probably minimal. I add a few teaspoons of Black Rice (purple rice) to my mix for added nutrition and it makes a pretty lavender color. Without that, the rice looks like rice and tastes almost indistinguishable so if you want to add fiber to your plain rice, this is the way to go.

> Essentially the same as "American" pearled barley, but smaller grains. Mochi Mugi Gohan Japanese Style Glutinous Pearled Barley is actually grown in the United States.> For two people, I measure 1/4 cup in a 1-cup measuring cup, add water (in the same cup with the barley) to a total of 1 cup, and then simmer on a low boil for 20 minutes. That produces about 1 cup of cooked barley. You don't have to wait for the water to boil before adding the barley. Do not drain the barley if you plan to use it in a soup or stew. Drain and rinse if you plan to use it in a salad, such as a bean salad. Or, if you've cooked the barley in advance, just turn off the heat and leave the barley in the pot, and it will absorb any remaining water over the next hour.> Cooks in the same time as white rice -- about 20 minutes (1/3 the time of "American" pearl barley -- about 1 hour). Should cook in a rice cooker exactly the same as white rice. In fact a mixture of 1/2 rice and 1/2 barley cooks well together and is particular good together. To cook with white rice, follow exactly the same procedure as white rice.> The short cooking time makes Mochi pearled barley much more practical as a warm breakfast cereal.> Compared to rice or pasta, barley has a more assertive flavor, and so goes best with beef (and probably mutton), but is fine with pork or chicken, or alone for that matter.> Barley has an exceptionally low glycemic index, and so is a particularly good substitute for white rice for diabetics. I was very pleasantly surprised that my Latina wife accepted the substitution enthusiastically.> In fact, barley has the same glycemic index as black beans (or almost any other kind of beans) -- about 1/3 the glycemic index of white rice (1/2 the glycemic index of brown rice). If you love black beans-and-rice, then black beans-and-barley is a great substitute, which you may grow to prefer. A low glycemic index is great, but carbs are still carbs. (A low glycemic index only means that the glucose is processed more slowly, giving your body time to process it). A large serving of just beans-and-barley is much better than white rice-and-beans, but nevertheless may spike your glucose levels. I suggest diluting the carbs with plenty of onions and sweet peppers, and serving something else lower in carbs, such as a salad and pork chops.> Cooked diced sweet onions go spectacularly with the barley. Add a some cubed beef and you've got a great dish. I cook all three ingredients separately and mix them (with a little olive oil) before serving. For diabetics, the onions (and maybe diced red bell sweet pepper) also serve as a filler diluting the concentration of carbohydrates.> Some folks cook barley to make broth ("barley water") and discard the cooked barley. Of course, you can use the cooked barley for some other purpose.> Adding a teaspoon of barley to any homemade soup adds body -- MUCH healthier than potatoes, white rice, pasta, or wheat flour (all of which are equivalent to the same volume of table sugar).> Have a recipe which calls for cornstarch, rice flour, potato flour, or cracker crumbs as a thickener? (which will send your blood glucose through the roof) --- cooked down barley is a great substitute (except for Chinese dishes which call for a syrupy glaze made from cornstarch). Cook the barley well, then use an in-pot blender to liquefy any remaining lumps, then add to your dish> To make a great vegetarian broth or soup base, I normally cook a whole onion or two and a tablespoon of pearled barley together for several hours. For just broth, add Braggs and olive oil to taste, and optionally strain.> To make a great soup, starting with this soup base, just add fresh cubed vegies and (optionally meat), 1/4 cup of olive oil, and Braggs to taste, and cook for another 1/2 - 1 hour. I often add a can of white beans shortly before serving, and usually freshly ground mixed pepper. (To minimize the harshness/bitterness of most olive oil, cook the oil with the soup --- don't just add the olive oil immediately before serving).UNRELATED COMMENT -- Adding 1 to 3 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin to any broth or soup also adds body, without adding carbs. The gelatin is a protein, and is metabolized as collagen which can strengthen your nails, connective tissue, and joints. That is, it can improve your nails, reduce wrinkles, reduce arthritis, and reduce other joint pain.UPDATE -- Caution: Sweet onions really are "sweet" (whether or not they are harshly "oniony") which can spike your blood glucose, albeit how sweet depends on where they were grown, and the time of the year. So, if you find that black beans, onions, and barley spikes your blood glucose --- your first suspect should be the sweet onions. Yellow onions work just as well, without the high sugar content.

I use this to cook rice in my rice cooker. The rice cooks up very fluffy, chewy and very tasty. This product is very high in fiber, which is wonderful for me as I have severe constipation. This is very tasty cooked with rice or boiled in a pot to soften it and added to soups. I eat it in tomato soup, chicken soup, and squash soup. This is an excellent ingredient that makes me feel full and prevents me from overeating.

I like the chewy texture. Small individual packages make it easy to store and cook.

This barley makes the regular rice so tasteful! Can't go without it anymore.

Smell little strong . I like more 16 grain rice mix .

This stuff is great! I can't stand brown rice, so I was delighted to discover this. It is the perfect way to add some fiber and nutrition to your white rice without ruining the taste and texture. The English directions are easy to understand. You can use one stick per "cup" (a rice cooker "cup" is actually 2/3 cup) of rice for a heartier texture, or if that messes with the taste of your rice too much, one stick per two rice cooker cups.I do wish it came in a bigger bag, and I could do without the pre-measured sticks, but this is the best mochi mugi (glutinous pearled barley) I've found.

I add this to my brown white rice mixture and it cooks up wonderfully in my small 3 cup max Zojirushi. Great texture. Adds a slight kick to my gohan. Pleasantly surprised it’s easy to use without having to adjust water amount or cooking time. Feeling spoiled. Thanks for offering this product.