Jareesh
A comforting Najdi porridge from Saudi Arabia: cracked whole wheat simmered with chicken broth and yogurt, topped with onions fried in ghee.
Method
Rinse the jareesh in a sieve 2 or 3 times until the water runs clearer, then soak it in plenty of water for . Soaking helps it cook faster and turn evenly soft.
Add in this stepJareesh (coarsely cracked whole wheat) 120 g
Put the chicken, water, the broth onion cut into quarters, cardamom, the loomi pierced 2 or 3 times with a knife tip, half the cumin, the pepper and half the salt into a 3 L pot. Bring to the boil on high heat, skim off the foam, then turn down to medium-low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for . The chicken is done when the meat pulls easily from the bone and shows no pink inside.
Add in this stepBone-in chicken thighs 350 gWater 1,100 mlOnion (for the broth) 1Green cardamom pods, lightly crushed 3Loomi (dried lime) 1Ground cumin ½ tspBlack pepper ½ tspSalt ½ tsp
high heat→medium-low heatLift out the chicken and let it cool a little; fish out and discard the loomi and cardamom (leave the onion in). Drain the soaked jareesh, add it to the broth and simmer on low heat for . Stir every 5 minutes, scraping the bottom so it does not stick, and add a splash of hot water if it gets too thick. It is ready when the grains are plump and squash easily between your fingers. Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat.
low heatWhisk the yogurt and milk together until smooth, then stir in a ladle of the hot porridge to warm it. Pour it into the pot with the shredded chicken and the rest of the salt and cook on low heat for , beating firmly with a wooden spoon to break the grains down a little. Keep it at a gentle bubble; a hard boil makes the yogurt split. It is done when it is creamy and a spoon drawn through it leaves a trail for a moment.
Add in this stepMilk 150 mlPlain yogurt 100 gSalt ½ tsp
low heatMake the tasha: slice the tasha onion thinly. Heat the ghee in a 18 cm frying pan on medium heat and fry the onion for , stirring, until deep golden brown and sweet. Add the remaining cumin and the crumbled chilli for the last 30 seconds and take the pan off the heat as soon as the cumin smells toasty; burnt cumin tastes bitter.
Add in this stepGhee 1½ tbspOnion (for the tasha) 1Ground cumin ½ tspDried red chilli 1
medium heatSpoon the porridge onto wide plates, make a shallow well in the middle and pour in the hot tasha with its ghee. Taste and add salt if needed.
Cook's tip
Jareesh keeps thickening as it cools, so stop when it is a little looser than you want; loosen leftovers with hot water or milk when reheating. Coarse bulgur can stand in for jareesh but cooks faster, so start checking after about 15 minutes. No loomi? A strip of lemon zest gives a similar brightness.
Cooking it at camp
Soak the jareesh in a water bottle in the morning, then cook it in a heavy-based pot over the lowest burner flame, stirring often. Short on time? Cook the porridge at home, carry it in a cooler, reheat it with a splash of water and fry only the tasha at the campsite.