Harees

Step 1: Drain 14 oz whole wheat berries (harees wheat) and put it in a large heavy pot with 1 ¾ lb bone-in chicken thighs, 10 ½ cups water, 1 cinnamon stick and 4 green cardamom pods. Bring to the boil and skim off the foam.

Step 2: Cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F next to the bone. Lift out the chicken, pull the meat off and discard the skin, bones, cinnamon and cardamom.

Step 3: Return the chicken meat to the pot, add 2 tsp salt and simmer, stirring every 10–15 minutes and scraping the bottom, for 2 hours more until the wheat has burst and the mixture is thick. Add hot water if it starts to catch. A common mistake is not stirring enough; harees sticks and burns easily.

Step 4: Beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes, or pulse briefly with a stick blender, until smooth and stretchy.

Step 5: Spoon into bowls, make a hollow in the top and pour in hot 3 tbsp ghee or clarified butter. Dust with ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp ground cumin. Cool leftovers within 2 hours; reheat with a splash of water until piping hot.