LEBANESE CREAMY FREEKEH PILAF

If you haven’t had freekeh yet, it is about time you did! The star grain among foodies in the western world for quite some time now, freekeh, also known as Farikah or Freek has been in our Middle Eastern pantries for ages, literally!

Its firm grain, and its nutty, smoky flavour make it very versatile. Traditionally, Freekeh is served as a side dish to yoghurt dishes or cooked with chicken or lamb. Recently, freekeh has been appearing in healthy salads and soups.

Health benefits

Our ancestors knew it better and had discovered the health benefits of freekeh long before all this recent hip about it. And that feels so good!

This ancient freekeh grain, made from young green wheat that is roasted over an open fire, is highly nutritious and contributes to your overall health. It helps digestion and stabilizes blood sugar levels. Its high content of fibre and protein helps weight control and increases energy.

Cracked and whole grain freekeh

As I can’t have enough from its smoky flavour and creamy texture, I always make sure to have large amounts in my pantry to last till my next trip to Lebanon. I know it is available on the market in Germany, but I still prefer to get it from my original supplier in Marjeyoun, in south Lebanon. There, I can find cracked freekeh which has a creamier texture when cooked than whole grain freekeh.

So, when using whole grain just make sure to soak freekeh for up to one hour before cooking. If using my recipe below, add a little more stock liquid. You might have to cook it longer as well. As for the nuts, follow the principle of the more the merrier!

You can only make it vegetarian by using only vegetable stock, but as mentioned in the recipe, you can also use chicken or lamb stock depending on the dish you are preparing.

This freekeh recipe is from my cookbook.

Dina Kohl

Freekeh Pilaf

Creamy freekeh

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: main dish

Cuisine: Lebanese

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 60 ml sunflower oil
• 40 g blanched almond halves
• 60 g pine nuts
• 30 g butter
• 500 g freekeh picked, rinsed several times and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
• 1200 ml chicken lamb or vegetable stock
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ black pepper or to taste
• 500-1000 ml plain yoghurt to serve

Method

 

1. Heat the oil in the large pot over medium heat and fry the pine nuts, stirring all the time, for about 2 minutes or until golden in colour. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate. Then fry the almonds, like the pine nuts, for 2 minutes and remove onto a plate. Reserve.
2. Add the butter to the oil in the large pot and sauté the drained freekeh for 2 minutes over moderate heat, stirring all the time. Season with the salt, the allspice and the black pepper and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes or until the water is totally absorbed. Stir occasionally while cooking.
3. Spread freekeh over the serving platter and garnish with the pine nuts and the almonds. Serve as a main dish with some plain yoghurt or as a side dish with ablama or laban ummuh.

Notes

All images and text © Dina Bayoud Kohl