Harees
A slow-cooked wheat-and-meat porridge genuinely shared across the Gulf Arab states and the wider Arab world, with a documented early recipe in a 10th-century Baghdad cookbook. It's the ancestor of South Asian haleem and a cousin of Turkish keşkek. The real, often-skipped technique is vigorous pounding or mashing after the long simmer — traditionally by hand with a wooden paddle — until the wheat and meat become one smooth, stretchy, homogeneous porridge, not left chunky or stew-like.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 500g whole wheat berries (or coarse cracked wheat/jareesh)
- 800g boneless lamb or chicken
- Water
- Salt
- 3 tbsp ghee
- Cinnamon, for topping (optional)
Steps
- Soak the wheat berries overnight.
- Simmer the wheat, meat, and water together for 3-5 hours, until everything is falling apart.
- Remove any bones, then beat and mash the mixture vigorously (or blend) until smooth and homogeneous.
- Stir in the ghee and season with salt.
- Serve hot, sometimes topped with cinnamon sugar or fried onions.