Degchi
A slow-cooked porridge of wheat and meat beaten until smooth and stretchy, finished with a pool of ghee, cinnamon and sugar or just salt. A Ramadan and Eid staple across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, traditionally cooked for hours and beaten by hand until completely creamy.
Quick answer: 135 min in total · serves 4 · main ingredients: Whole wheat berries, Mutton, Salt, Clarified butter · amounts in metric and US
Ingredients
- 300 g 1.5 cup Whole wheat berries, soaked overnight
- 500 g 1.1 lb Mutton, bone-in, large pieces
- to taste to taste Salt
- 4 tbsp 4 tbsp Clarified butter
- 1 tsp 1 tsp Cinnamon, ground, for serving (Optional)
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Sugar (Optional)
Steps
Timers run only while this tab is open. The Degchi app keeps them running on a locked phone.
- Rinse the wheat and soak it in plenty of cold water overnight, at least 8 hours, then drain.⏱ Soaking wheat · 480 min
- Drain the soaked wheat and put it in a heavy pot with the meat, salt and 1.8 litres water.
- Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then cover and simmer on very low heat for about 2 hours (tougher or bone-in meat can need up to 3 hours), stirring every 20 minutes and adding hot water if it gets too thick, until the wheat and meat fall apart.⏱ Slow-cooking harees · 120 min
- Remove any bones, then beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon or hand blender until it is smooth and stretchy and falls from the spoon in ribbons.⏱ Beating harees · 10 min
- Spoon the harees into bowls and make a well in the centre of each.
- Pour melted ghee into each well and finish with cinnamon and sugar, or with salt and pepper for a savoury bowl. Serve while hot.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does Harees take to make?
Harees takes about 135 minutes in total. That is about 15 minutes of prep and 120 minutes of cooking.
How many people does this Harees recipe serve?
This version serves 4. The Degchi app has a servings scaler if you need more or fewer portions.
What ingredients do I need for Harees?
You need Whole wheat berries, Mutton, Salt, Clarified butter. Optional: Cinnamon, Sugar.
Is Harees difficult?
Degchi rates it Hard, with 6 steps in the method; steps that need timing have a built-in timer in cook mode.
Is Harees halal, vegetarian or eggless?
It is marked halal in our recipe data. It is not vegetarian. It has no egg. It has no beef. Check the labels on any packaged ingredients for your own needs.
What will I probably need to buy for Harees?
Everyday staples that Degchi counts as pantry basics: salt. Fresh items you will probably need to buy: mutton, clarified butter. Lentils, grains and other dry goods: whole wheat berries.
Any tips for making Harees?
Quick oat version: simmer 6 to 8 pieces of boneless chicken with a cinnamon stick and half an onion in 3 to 4 cups of water until tender, shred it, stir in 1 cup of quick oats and cook about 10 minutes, then beat smooth. Ready in under 30 minutes, with a very similar taste. Traditional harees uses roughly equal weights of wheat and meat and always needs the long overnight soak; if the porridge looks grainy, keep beating, it should turn smooth and stretchy.
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