Harees (Gulf Wheat and Meat Porridge)
ہریس (خلیجی گندم اور گوشت کا حلیم)
Harees is one of the oldest dishes of the Arabian Peninsula and a must at Ramadan iftars and Eid tables in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. Whole wheat and meat are cooked very slowly with water and a little salt until they break down completely, then beaten into a smooth, thick, almost elastic porridge and served with a pool of ghee and a dusting of cinnamon. It's the ancestor of South Asian haleem, but much simpler: the flavour comes from the wheat, meat and ghee themselves.
- ⏱ Total: 4 hr 15 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 4 hr
- Medium
- Serves 8
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Put the meat, drained wheat, water, salt, cinnamon stick and cardamom in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
Cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 3–4 hours, stirring now and then and adding hot water if needed, until the wheat has burst and the meat falls apart. (Pressure cooker: about 1 hour.)
Remove the bones and whole spices. Beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon or , or pulse briefly with a hand blender, until smooth, thick and stretchy.
Spoon into bowls, make a well in the centre and fill with hot ghee. Dust with cinnamon (and a little sugar if you like) and serve.
Kitchen notes
Hulled whole wheat is sold as 'harees' in Arab shops and as wheat for haleem in South Asian shops. Pearl barley is a workable substitute.
Stir from the bottom regularly; harees thickens a lot and can catch.
A slow cooker on low for 8–10 hours works perfectly.
The ancestor of haleem
Harees has been cooked in Arabia for well over a thousand years, and medieval Arabic cookbooks describe it in detail. Travellers and traders carried it east, and in South Asia it developed into the richly spiced haleem. In the Gulf, harees stayed close to its simple roots: wheat, meat, salt and ghee.
Patience and beating
The method needs time rather than skill. Soaked wheat and meat cook together for hours until the grains burst and the meat dissolves. Then the mixture is beaten vigorously, traditionally with a wooden paddle, until it becomes smooth and slightly stretchy, the same idea as the ghotna used for haleem.
A dish for sharing
In the Emirates, Qatar and Oman, harees is especially associated with Ramadan; families cook big pots and send bowls to neighbours and relatives. It’s also served at Eid and weddings.
Serving
Serve hot with ghee poured into the centre and a dusting of cinnamon. Some families add a sprinkle of sugar; others prefer it purely savoury. For a spiced, South Asian version, see our haleem.
Questions people ask
How is harees different from haleem?
Haleem adds several lentils and lots of spices, fried onions, ginger and chillies. Harees is just wheat, meat, salt and ghee, so it's mild and creamy.
When is harees eaten?
Especially in Ramadan and at Eid and weddings in the Gulf, where it's often sent to neighbours.
Can I use chicken?
Yes. Chicken harees is common and cooks faster, about 2 hours.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 420
- Protein
- 30 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
