Move over, quinoa because another healthy grain is taking over the kitchen of both traditional and non-traditional restaurants in the US. Job's tears also known as Coix lacryma-jobi is another kind of Asian grain. It is popularly grown as a medicinal plant, jewelry accessory and as food which is very similar to rice.
Job's tear originated from India and are now grown in China, Japan, Burma and Thailand.
According to studies, the body can benefit a lot from eating this grain. It is composed of 52 percent starch, 18 percent protein, and seven percent fat. It is also rich in dietary fiber and protein.
Job's tears can be prepared and consumed in many ways. "The mature seeds right after de-hulling and cleaning are boiled as well as consumed along with cooked rice. The pounded flour is oftentimes also combined with water and taken as such as cooling drink just like barley or flour water. Raw kernels are utilized as peanut.".
Live Strong said it has been widely used to treat dozens of conditions from arthritis to smallpox. Reports say it can also help cure allergies, high cholesterol level, cancer, endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal problems, osteoporosis and can also aid weight loss.
But to be able to harness the benefits, one should first consume the grain. Bon Appetit Magazine featured the couple and owner of Tartine Bakery, Chad Robertson and Liz Prueitt who described Job's Tears as "really fascinating, and the size is really unusual ...You don't usually get much bigger than a grain of wheat."
When cooked, it turns out to be soft and chewy and about the size of a pea. In their restaurant, one of their specialty is the Tortilla and dulce rojo pepper soup with Job's Tears. Prueitt also compared the rise of job's tears to when the quinoa is still unknown to the market, that's why she is convinced about the future of job's tears and she have no doubt about it being big.
According to the same magazine, a couple other establishments already offer dishes with job's tears like Baroo in LA and Righteous Foods in Fort Worth.