Curried Chicken Barley Risotto

Curried Chicken Barley Risotto:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 sweet potato
• 2 small Chicken breast, cubed
• 1 1/4 cup barley, toasted (approx. as I don’t have a measuring cup)
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin, coriander
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• pinch of cinnamon
• 5 cups stock of your choice
• salt and pepper
• A squeeze of lemon for some zing

Directions:

• I started by heating a large flat pan and toasted my barley for a couple of minutes and then set it aside. In went the olive oil followed by the onions, carrots and mushrooms. They were seasoned with salt, pepper, along with the other spices, and cooked together for a few minutes until they began to soften. Then I threw in the garlic and barley. These were tossed together in the pan for about a minute. Then began the risotto process.
• I added a couple cups of stock to the pan. This was cooked with stirring now and then until the stock reduced. More stock was added in small amounts and stirring/cooking was continued until the barley was tender, about 35 minutes. I then added the chicken and pepper. I made sure there was enough liquid for it to cook for another 8-10 minutes. This was cooked down until the broth was all absorbed and the chicken was cooked thoroughly.
• Add your squeeze of lemon before serving and any other toppings you please; I chose raisins.

*I think this could also me yummy with the addition of some coconut milk*