Mochi mugi barley is a superfood with high fiber content and nutty flavors. Cook with white or brown rice to get the wonderful nutrients into your diet.
Mochi Mugi (もち麦), or Japanese pearl barley, is a healthy mix-in to regular rice. It contains four times the amount of fiber in brown rice and 25 times that of white rice. The barley grain is one of the secrets to a healthy Japanese diet.
Table of contents
What Is Mochi Mugi
Mochi mugi is a type of barley grain. Barley contains significant soluble fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. The Japanese cook it with rice for their daily meal.
What Does It Taste Like
It has a mild and slightly nutty flavor. When cooked, it becomes chewy and blends well with rice you can’t detect.
How To Use
Add a small amount of mochi mugi to your rice cooker to cook with rice. It won’t affect the texture or taste of rice, so if you become accustomed to it, you can increase the ratio. It’ll add a nice dimension to your usual bowl of rice. Treat mugi mochi mixed rice as regular rice, like using it to make onigiri rice balls, fried rice, and takikomi gohan.
You can also boil the grains and add them to salads, miso soup, stews, your favorite rice dish, and more.
Where to Buy
You can purchase it at Japanese grocery stores or some health food stores. Some are sold in small individual packets for convenience.
You can also buy Hakubaku Mochi Mugi (Japan’s #1 barley brand) on Amazon. Hakubaku is a leading producer and distributor of grains, making up approximately 70% of the Japanese market’s barley and mixed grain distribution.
How To Store
Store at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and humidity.
Health Benefits
Mochi mugi contains a higher amount of fiber than brown rice or regular kinds of barley.
Mochi mugi contains both insoluble and soluble fibers, which have different purposes. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, whereas soluble fiber does. Both types of fiber are important for overall health, digestion, and heart disease prevention.
Soluble fibers slow digestion, regulate blood sugar, and lower cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber improves digestive function and overall gut health.
It also contains nutrients such as thiamine (B1), niacin (B3), magnesium, and selenium. White rice is notorious for B vitamin deficiency, which can cause beriberi, a neurological disease.
You can easily take in these valuable nutrients by mixing a few tablespoons of mochi mugi into your regular pot of rice.
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[…] we were in Okinawa last Christmas, I had a chance to try a type of rice balls with mochi mugi. And I LOOOOVED […]