Iraqi Pink Rice Plow Ahmar Recipes

Steps:

• Heat olive oil.
• Add onion; fry until translucent.
• Add washed rice; stir 2 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, celery, salt, dillweed, pepper and garlic powder.
• Add 3 1/2 cups water.
• After it comes to a boil. turn heat to simmer.
• Cover and cook until rice is tender; do not open lid for 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Wash rice 3 times. We are not making sticky rice here.
• Saute onion in olive oil or veggie oil ,on medium heat for about 5 minutes until lightly browned.
• Add rice until all grains are cooked.
• Add water with tomato paste and salt and pepper mixed inches.
• Turn flame up to high.
• When mixture comes to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid.
• Reduce to a simmer; allow to cook 20 minutes; turn off heat.

Steps:

• Soak wheat overnight in plenty of water.
• In a large pot, place pre-soaked & drained wheat, add 1 & 3/4 litre of water & boil until the wheat is beginning to fluff up & soften - skim off any foam or skummy bits on the surface!
• Soak the lamb / chicken in plenty of lightly salted water whilst the wheat is cooking.
• When the wheat is fluffy, rinse & drain the meat.
• In a large, heavy bottomed pot (or special harees pot), place the wheat & the meat with a little salt & pepper and enough water to come about 5cm above the wheat & meat. Cover with a tight fitting lid - you can place a damp cloth or aluminium foil over the pot & then place the lid over that of the lid is not a tight fit.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat & cook on a very low heat for 3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally & skim-off froth or fat on the surface.
• Once the wheat is very soft & has lost it's shape & most of the water has been absorbed, remove from heat & allow to cool a little, then remove any bones & grissle. (If all the water has been absobed add about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of boiling water - if there is too much water but the wheat is cooked, ladle out the excess water.)
• Shred the lamb or chicken if any larger pieces remain - there shouldn't really be any as almost all of it will have 'melted' into the wheat.
• Now begin whipping the wheat & meat until it forms a homogenous, slightly elastic, pastelike consistency - add a little salted boiling water to thin it down if required. Use a large wooden spoon, or pound it with a wooden rolling pin to get the desired consistency. You could also pulse it in a food processor or use an immersion blender but if you are lucky enough, you might have a medhrab which is specially for harees.
• Check the seasoning & re-season if desired. Transfer to a warmed serving pot, cover & keep warm.
• Place the ghee in a pan & season to taste with salt & pepper (& any of the spices listed below). Gently warm the ghee & mix well.
• Pour the seasoned ghee over the harees & serve immediately.
• N.B : You can serve the harees with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon & 2 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds, or 3-4 whole bruised cardamom pods added to the ghee (remove the podes before serving!). You can also serve harees with plenty of sugar & cinnamon.

Steps:

• Malagache cooks double the quantity of rice they require for the meal. When it is cooked, they remove most of the rice from the earthenware pan. The remainder (a layer about 1/2-inch thick) is heated until it is burned and acquires a characteristic aroma. At that point boiling water is poured over the rice to the top of the pan. It is cooled, strained, and chilled. This beverage is used in place of water on the island.