The barley experiments continue. I am coming to the conclusion that anything rice will do, pearled barley will do better. I have made barley stir fries, barley pilaf, and barley risotto. With barley, you get much lower carbs, more flavor, and a meatier, more satisfying chew.
I’ve also bought some hulled barley, which like pearled barley is available in bulk at Whole Foods. Hulled barley, however, needs to be soaked overnight before it’s cooked. And it takes longer to cook — about an hour for hulled barley vs. 25 minutes or so for pearled barley. So with hulled barley you need to plan ahead a bit.