Al Harees - a Family Recipe!

Traditional
Qatari, Iraqi
By Um Saa (http://www.food.com/user/510313)
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TOTAL TIME

PREP 40 MINS

4 hrs 40 mins

COOK 4 HRS

Here is a wonderful recipe for Harees - the whipped wheat dish which is
traditionally eaten during Ramadan. It is probably THE most famous dish in
Qatar & variations of this Qatari dish are eaten in several other countries
including Iraq & Saudi Arabia (it also has other colloquial names). Time to make
doesn't include overnight soaking of the wheat.

INGREDIENTS

Nutrition

SERVINGS

6-8

UNITS

US

kg lamb (http://www.food.com/about/lamb-203) or 1 kg
chicken (http://www.food.com/about/chicken-221), on the
bone

kg whole wheat (called 'habb harees' ) or 1 kg pearled durham

wheat (called 'habb harees' )

150

g ghee (http://www.food.com/about/ghee-425) (or traditional

samen)
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
water (http://www.food.com/about/water-459), as needed

Extras

Option 1
1

teaspoon ground cinnamon

(http://www.food.com/about/cinnamon-324)

teaspoons roasted ground cumin

(http://www.food.com/about/cumin-20)

Option 2
3 -4

whole bruised cardamom pods

(http://www.food.com/about/cardamom-319)

Option 2
1

teaspoon cinnamon (http://www.food.com/about/cinnamon324)

sugar (http://www.food.com/about/sugar-139)

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DIRECTIONS
Soak wheat overnight in plenty of water.
In a large pot, place pre-soaked & drained wheat, add 1 & 3/4 litre of water &
boil until the wheat is beginning to fluff up & soften - skim off any foam or
skummy bits on the surface!
Soak the lamb / chicken in plenty of lightly salted water whilst the wheat is
cooking.
When the wheat is fluffy, rinse & drain the meat.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot (or special harees pot), place the wheat & the
meat with a little salt & pepper and enough water to come about 5cm above the
wheat & meat. Cover with a tight tting lid - you can place a damp cloth or
aluminium foil over the pot & then place the lid over that of the lid is not a tight
t.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat & cook on a very low heat for 3 1/2 hours, stirring
occasionally & skim-off froth or fat on the surface.
Once the wheat is very soft & has lost it's shape & most of the water has been
absorbed, remove from heat & allow to cool a little, then remove any bones &
grissle. (If all the water has been absobed add about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of boiling
water - if there is too much water but the wheat is cooked, ladle out the excess
water.)
Shred the lamb or chicken if any larger pieces remain - there shouldn't really be
any as almost all of it will have 'melted' into the wheat.
Now begin whipping the wheat & meat until it forms a homogenous, slightly

elastic, pastelike consistency - add a little salted boiling water to thin it down if
required. Use a large wooden spoon, or pound it with a wooden rolling pin to get
the desired consistency. You could also pulse it in a food processor or use an
immersion blender but if you are lucky enough, you might have a medhrab which
is specially for harees.
Check the seasoning & re-season if desired. Transfer to a warmed serving pot,
cover & keep warm.
Place the ghee in a pan & season to taste with salt & pepper (& any of the spices
listed below). Gently warm the ghee & mix well.
Pour the seasoned ghee over the harees & serve immediately.
N.B : You can serve the harees with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon & 2 tsp roasted
ground cumin seeds, or 3-4 whole bruised cardamom pods added to the ghee
(remove the podes before serving!). You can also serve harees with plenty of
sugar & cinnamon.

Up Next
Improv Ingredients
(1:07)

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Traditional Algerian Rechta (Noodles) - Family

Recipe!

By Um Saa (http://www.food.com/user/510313)
(http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-algerian-rechta-noodles-family-recipe233416/review)
(http://www.food.com/recipe/traditionalalgerianrechtanoodles
familyrecipe233416/review)
(1) (http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-algerian-rechta-noodles-familyrecipe-233416/review)

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TOTAL TIME

PREP 45 MINS

1 hr 45 mins

COOK 1 HR

Rechta (pronunced rish-ta) is a dish comprising of flat noodles and a chicken

sauce (Marga bil djedj). Many people buy rechta noodles from the market
already made - as many women add to their income by selling them. Rechta
noodles keep very well in the freezer. You'll need a pasta machine for this

INGREDIENTS

Nutrition

SERVINGS

YIELD

UNITS

US

For the Rechta (noodles)

500
1

g plain flour (http://www.food.com/about/flour-64)

teaspoon salt (http://www.food.com/about/salt-359)

water (http://www.food.com/about/water-459)
cornflour (http://www.food.com/about/corn-flour-638), to
aid rolling out
1

tablespoon ghee (http://www.food.com/about/ghee-425)

(smen)

For the Marga (sauce)

1 1 2

kg chicken pieces (http://www.food.com/about/chicken-221)

onions (http://www.food.com/about/onion-148), nely

chopped

garlic clove (http://www.food.com/about/garlic-165), minced

tablespoon sunflower oil or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

cup of tinned chickpeas

(http://www.food.com/about/chickpea-220)

teaspoon black pepper (http://www.food.com/about/pepper337)

2 1 4

teaspoons ras el hanout spice mix

(http://www.food.com/about/ras-el-hanout-903)

liter water (http://www.food.com/about/water-459)

teaspoon cinnamon (http://www.food.com/about/cinnamon324)

500

g long turnips (http://www.food.com/about/turnip-311), cut

into 6ths

250

g potatoes (http://www.food.com/about/potato-106),
quartered

250

g courgettes (http://www.food.com/about/zucchini-316), cut

into 6ths (zucchini)

1 1 2

teaspoons salt (http://www.food.com/about/salt-359)

(http://www.food.com/topic/one-dish-meal/popular)

Check Out Our Top One-Dish Meal Recipe

DIRECTIONS
For the Rechta (noodles):.
On a large work surface or in a large bowl, sift the flour. Add the salt and make a
well in the centre. Add a little water and mix to form a rm but slightly soft
dough.
Divide the dough into quarters and roll each quarter out to an approximately
thickness of 1-2mm on a surface dusted lightly with cornflour.
Dust dough sheets very lightly and put through the pasta machine on the lowest
setting (to create thinnest pasta sheet). When all pieces have been put through
the machine, put on the side to dry out a little - for 20-30 minutes.
Change the setting or add the attachment on the pasta machine to the one that
cuts ne ribbons. Pass the sheets through the machine. Dust each sheet with
cornflour- this really helps the noodles not to stick together.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before steaming in a cousier or regular steamer.
Take a tiny amount of oil on your hands and gently rub a little through the rechta

to prevent it from sticking together whilst cooking.

Once the steam rises from the rechta, cook for 5 minutes. Remove from
couscousier and sprinkle a little water over it and seperate any noodles. Return
to steaming for a further 5 minutes or until noodles are visibly cooked.
Tip rechta into a gas'a or other large dish and gently mix the ghee (smen)
through it. Taste and add extra salt if required.
For the Marga (sauce):.
In a pressure cooker, fry the onion, garlic and chicken in the oil with the spices,
cook for further 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the vegetables and chick peas
and pour on the water. Season and cook for 30 minutes or until chicken and
vegetables are tender.
Serve the rechta by placing the rechta noodles in gas'a or large dish (or
individually if preferred) and pouring about 1/2 the marga (sauce) over the top.
Arrange the vegetables and chicken so everyone gets a good selection.
Note: (If you're not using a pressure cooker, please cook for approximately 1hr
and add the chickpeas during the last 20 minutes of cooking time) Traditionally
rechta usually only has turnip in it. My family prefers the above mix of
vegetables and sometimes I even add carrots - you can use what you like!

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Most Helpful

Nice! A friend recently visited me from Algeria and made this; it was good but I like your
version a little better (because anything that gives me the excuse to use ras el-hanout is
good in my book!). One thing I wonder about: the "long turnips." Are they what they call
"luft"
More in Algerian Arabic? Before my friend came, he asked if we had "luft" in Turkey. What
he described sounded like a turnip or even a parsnip, but when I didn't really understand,
bobinthebul (http://www.food.com/user/2058205)
November 08, 2011

(http://www.food.com/user/2058205)
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