🇰🇼 Kuwait

Harees

هريس · harīs

An ancient, comforting dish of cracked wheat slow-cooked with meat until it breaks down into a smooth, savory porridge, finished with a generous drizzle of ghee.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

2 cups harees wheat, soaked 2–3 hours
1 kg lamb or chicken
~8 cups water · salt
Ghee, to serve
Optional turmeric, cumin or cinnamon

Method

Simmer the meat in salted water, skimming, until very tender (1–1.5 hours); debone and shred.
Add the drained wheat to the meat and broth and cook on low, stirring often.
Simmer 2–3 hours until thick, then mash or whisk smooth.
Spoon into a dish, make a well, and pour over melted ghee; optionally dust with cinnamon.

The family table

Traditional harees is deliberately minimal — wheat, meat, salt — and authenticity is about the pounded-smooth texture. Don’t confuse it with the chunkier, more spiced jireesh. (The same dish family as Iraq’s hareesa.)

Yumma

Middle Eastern home cooking, organized by country. Your family’s version is the one that counts. · info@yummarecipes.com