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!).