Kuwait – Jireesh (Cracked Wheat Soup)

by Fariha Saeed

About the dish

Jireesh is a specialty of Kuwait. Jireesh is made with wheat or oats with different spices in it. This is one of the most unique and delicious soups in the world. The wheat has an earthy flavor in it which is so good. The flavor is so yummy and everyone in the world has to taste it once in their life. This is so popular in Kuwait. People enjoy this in the morning as a breakfast. You can also have this as lunch, snack, dinner. This is very famous to make on special occasions like Christmas, new year, etc. The texture is soo thick and wheaty and the flavors are so natural. The specialty of this soup is that this has a sweet and salty flavor. The sweet flavor comes from raisins and the salty flavor comes from salt and other spices. You can add lamb, chicken, beef, and another kind of meat in it to make it more flavorful. You can also gift this soup to others. The components of the dish are:

1. Rica
2. Wheat
3. Curd
4. Spices
5. Raisins
6. Vegetables
7. Fresh herbs

This is a very powerful soup. It is low in calories and helps in weight loss. The aroma of wheat is so good. The color of the soup is light brown. You can top it with some fresh herbs, sliced ginger, chopped green chilies, and some lime juice. It enhances the flavor. People are crazy about this soup. They wait in lines at the shop to get it. Some people like to add spinach in it but this is not the part of it. This is the best appetizer in Kuwait. You can get this at street vendors or at high-class restaurants you can find it everywhere in Kuwait.

Nutrition fact

• Calories 240
• Fat 9 g
• Protein 15 g
• Carbohydrates 67 g

Ingredients of the soup

• 1 1/2 cups Cracked wheat
• 5 cups water
• 3 tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 onion large (chopped)
• 1/2 cups Rice
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp dry coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp red chili
• 6 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

For garnish

• Lime juice
• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Fresh chopped green chili
• Sliced ginger

Cooking

Take a bowl and soak the wheat and rice for at least 3 hours. Take a large cooking pot and turn on the heat then add oil, turmeric, dry coriander, red chili, cumin and stir it for 5 minutes until all the spices are roasted. Now add all the water and give it a stir.

Now Take a blender and add the wheat and rice in it and blend just for 30 seconds. Do not make a paste of it. The wheat and rice have to be in their shape. Now add the rice and wheat to the water pot and mix on low flame until the water dries. Now take a frying pan add fry tomatoes and onions fry until golden brown then transfers it to the cooking pot and mix well.

Now put the lid on the pot and let it cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes put this in a bowl and garnish with lemon juice, cilantro, green chili, and ginger.