Jareesh (Saudi Cracked Wheat with Chicken and Crispy Onions)
جریش (سعودی دلی گندم، مرغی اور کرکری پیاز کے ساتھ)
Jareesh is one of the oldest dishes of central Saudi Arabia (Najd): crushed wheat cooked slowly with chicken or lamb, milk or yogurt and gentle spices until soft and creamy, then finished with a tomato and onion sauce and a heap of crispy fried onions. It's especially loved during Ramadan and on cold desert nights. Pakistani readers will see the family resemblance to haleem and Gulf harees, but jareesh keeps more texture and has a lighter, tangier taste from the yogurt.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 1 hr 30 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Simmer the chicken with the water, dried lime, cardamom, cumin, pepper and salt for 30 minutes. Lift out the chicken, shred it and return the shredded meat to the stock.
Add the drained jareesh and simmer on low, partly covered, for 45–60 minutes, stirring often and adding hot water if needed, until soft and creamy.
Stir in the yogurt and cook for 5 minutes more on low heat, stirring, until thick and smooth. Mash lightly with a spoon if you like it creamier.
Fry the sliced onions in the oil until deep golden and crisp. In another pan, heat the ghee and cook the chopped onion, tomatoes and chillies for 8 minutes into a soft sauce.
Spoon the jareesh into a wide dish, pour the tomato sauce in the centre and top with crispy onions. Serve hot.
Kitchen notes
Jareesh (crushed wheat) is sold in Arab grocers. Coarse bulgur or Pakistani dalia (broken wheat) work well.
Stir often in the last half hour, as wheat catches on the bottom of the pot.
Lamb is equally traditional; simmer it for 1½ hours before adding the wheat.
A dish from Najd
Jareesh comes from Najd, the desert heartland of Saudi Arabia around Riyadh, where wheat was one of the few crops that grew well. Families crushed it on stone mills and cooked it slowly with whatever meat and milk they had. Today it’s a symbol of traditional Saudi hospitality and appears on Ramadan tables and in heritage restaurants across the Gulf.
Texture
Unlike harees, which is beaten until completely smooth, jareesh keeps a little bite. The yogurt (or milk) added at the end makes it creamy and slightly tangy. Soak the crushed wheat for a couple of hours first so it cooks evenly.
The toppings
The tomato and onion sauce in the centre and the crispy onions on top give colour, sweetness and crunch to an otherwise pale, gentle dish. They’re what turn jareesh from porridge into a feast. A squeeze of lemon at the table is also common.
Serving
Serve hot in a wide dish for sharing. Pakistani readers who love haleem will find jareesh a lighter cousin. Finish with Arabic coffee and dates.
Questions people ask
How is jareesh different from harees?
Harees uses whole wheat cooked until completely smooth, with no yogurt. Jareesh uses crushed wheat, keeps more texture, and is often cooked with yogurt or milk and topped with a tomato sauce.
Can I use a pressure cooker?
Yes. Cook the soaked wheat with the stock for 20 minutes after the first whistle, then stir in the yogurt.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 480
- Protein
- 30 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
