If you have never tried pearl barley before, this is the recipe you should start with.

This is a warm and comforting dish that you can enjoy at any time of the day in any season.
It is also a one-pot recipe!

Ingredients:

Pearl barley - 120g
Chickpeas (already boiled) - 120g
Tomatoes - 2 large ones
Ginger - 1 cm long piece (optional)
Garlic - 1 clove (optional)
Rosemary - half a sprig
Coriander - a few leaves to garnish
Other spices of your choice - salt, chilli, ground coriander, cumin etc.

Cooks best in a pressure cooker. Saves you time.

Step 1: Prep and Cook

Prep

Dice the tomatoes.
Chop up the ginger and garlic if you are using them
If you started with dry chickpeas, boil them. If you bought a can of boiled chickpeas, you can use them directly.
Gather your spices

Cook

Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in your pot. Olive oil, sunflower oil... your choice.
Add the chopped tomatoes, ginger and garlic.
Toss in a pinch of salt and let the tomatoes get mushy.
Add spices at this point. I added a pinch of chilli powder and ground coriander.
Cook for a minute.
Add the grains of pearl barley to the tomatoes. If you are adding rosemary, do it now.
Pour in water at a ratio of 1 part barley to 2 parts water. If you used a cup of barley, add two cups of water.
Close the lid and pressure cook for 12 minutes.
After the barley has boiled, open the lid and add chickpeas.
Cook the mixture for a minute or two.

Tip: if you are using a pressure cooker like mine, put it on high heat till the pressure indicator (not the whistle) rises up. Then, lower the heat to a minimum and cook for 12 minutes. The cooker should not whistle during cooking. You can adjust the time to get a more crunchy or more soggy result.