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Freekeh - الفريكة


Freekeh is grilled or roasted wheat, harvested at early stages, dried and grilled and it has a green color. It is very healthy and it is used and cooked like rice and pasta. It is very famous all over the arab world and nowadays considered one of the healthiest cereals. Freekeh can be cooked in so many ways, and used in soups too. I decided to make it with chicken,. It can be prepared with both chicken and beef at the same time (or lamb), some people like to add bulgur to it too. But this is a simple and tasty recipe that I decided to make.

Serves 4-5
2 cups of Freekeh (found in middle eastern stores or online)
3 cups of chicken stock
1 medium onion chopped
1 whole chicken or any part of the chicken you like
2 cups of mixed raw nuts (pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, almonds, pecans)
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of allspice (or 7 spices)

For cooking the chicken:
1 carrot, 1 small onion, 1 cinnamon stick, some herbs ( I chose fresh thyme), 1/2 tsp of salt, 2 bay leaves, water to cover it.

Very important: Freekeh needs to be well cleaned by spreading it on a flat surface (like a tray and going through the grains with your fingers, in case there are any little stones, then soak it warm water for 15 to 30 mnts and wash several times using a strainer then let it drain)

In a pot, add the chicken and the herbs and vegetables and water and let it cook until done, removing the white foam whenever it comes up.
- In another pot, add 1 tbsp of butter, chopped onion, salt and pepper to taste, cook for a minute then add the freekeh and the allspice, mix all until the freekeh absorbs the butter, then add the 3 cups of chicken stock of your choice ( I like to remove the cooked chicken and use the water or stock that I prepared), once it comes to a boil, let it simmer until it absorbs the water and cook (just like rice).
- In a pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and the raw nuts and roast until brown.
Serve the freekeh with nuts and chicken on top. It's good with any salad.

Ok, I'm back to say that Summer posted freekeh few days ago and I just noticed it, so hers is really good too for those who didn't check it before (haha like me few minutes ago!).

17 comments:

  1. MAG, thanks for the link! i appreciate it.
    i did add nuts to mine at the end, if you see the video, it is at the last photos. next time i am posting a recipe, i will email you first! :)

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  2. Oh yes I noticed that you had nuts in it too, the video stopped and I did notice later after I read the full post. Oh you're funny, thanks, it's a small world after all! And you are right our brains think alike ;)

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  3. Ooooh, my Dad makes this (but usually over rice) and it's one of my favorites!!!

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  4. I just discovered your blog and i'm so happy to find a site that offers the authentic libanese cuisine!
    Ilove the frike' !!!!!!!
    keep the good work!

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  5. Hi Tina and Kaouther, thank you for visiting my blog :)

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  6. Oh, always cook freekeh with lamb have to try your recipe with chicken looks delish!

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  7. Thanks zita!!! Yeah I cook it with lamb too and sometimes both! :)

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  8. I'll see if I can find this ingredient here, and then try your recipe :D

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  9. Hi Elisabetta! I hope you can find it. You can order it online too :)

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  10. Your site is the place to go for healthy dishes! This dish makes me want to visit my local middle eastern store!

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  11. Thanks a lot Meeso :) I'm glad you like my recipes :)

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  12. aaahh I love freekeh!! its the first time i see someone blog about it!! :-) i especially love it when it's generously sprinkled with a variety of nuts...mmm !

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  13. Hi Marianna!!! Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad that you like it :)

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  14. What a nice blog.I will be coming more often for sure.
    This is one of my hometown's recipe. I love the smell of freekeh.
    Iffet

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  15. I'm happy to find your blog. I'm married to a Lebanese and love learning to cook Lebanese dishes. I recently learned about Freekeh and we bought some in the Middle Eastern markets in Chicago. I plan to make it this weekend and will be writing about it on my blog called Nutrition Unplugged. I love writing about Lebanese dishes, you'll find my articles on hummus and toubouleh. Good to meet you online.
    Janet

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  16. I'm a bit late in coming (great website btw)! Thanks so much for posting this recipe. A few years ago I visited Jordan and has this dish (it was with a whole chicken breast) and it was delicious. I'm going to try my hand at this!:)

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  17. Cooking freekeh for the first time today & going to use your recipe! Cheers!

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authorHello, my name is MAG. I've been running this blog since 2007. Follow me on Social Media!!!
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