Al Harees

• 1 kg lambor 1 kg chicken, on the bone
• 1 kgwhole wheat (called 'habb harees' ) or 1 kgpearled durham wheat (called 'habb harees' )
• 150 gghee (or traditional samen)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Water, as needed

Extras

Option 1

• 1/2teaspoonground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoonsroasted ground cumin

Option 2

• 3 -4 whole bruised cardamom pods

Option 2

• 1/2teaspooncinnamon
• sugar

Directions:

1. Soak wheat overnight in plenty of water.
2. In a large pot, place pre-soaked & drained wheat, add 1 & 3/4 liter of water & boil until the wheat is beginning to fluff up & soften - skim off any foam or scummy bits on the surface!
3. Soak the lamb / chicken in plenty of lightly salted water whilst the wheat is cooking.
4. When the wheat is fluffy, rinse & drain the meat.
5. In a large, heavy bottomed pot (or special harees pot), place the wheat & the meat with a little salt & pepper and enough water to come about 5cm above the wheat & meat. Cover with a tight fitting lid - you can place a damp cloth or aluminum foil over the pot & then place the lid over that of the lid is not a tight fit.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & cook on a very low heat for 3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally & skim-off froth or fat on the surface.
7. Once the wheat is very soft & has lost it's shape & most of the water has been absorbed, remove from heat & allow to cool a little, then remove any bones & grissle. (If all the water has been absorbed add about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of boiling water - if there is too much water but the wheat is cooked, ladle out the excess water.)
8. Shred the lamb or chicken if any larger pieces remain - there shouldn't really be any as almost all of it will have 'melted' into the wheat.
9. Now begin whipping the wheat & meat until it forms a homogenous, slightly elastic, paste like consistency - add a little salted boiling water to thin it down if required. Use a large wooden spoon, or pound it with a wooden rolling pin to get the desired consistency. You could also pulse it in a food processor or use an immersion blender but if you are lucky enough, you might have a medhrab, which is especially for harees.
10. Check the seasoning & re-season if desired. Transfer to a warmed serving pot, cover & keep warm.
11. Place the ghee in a pan & season to taste with salt & pepper (& any of the spices listed below). Gently warm the ghee & mix well.
12. Pour the seasoned ghee over the harees & serve immediately.
13. You can serve the harees with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon & 2 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds, or 3-4 whole bruised cardamom pods added to the ghee (remove the pods before serving! bon appetit

Algeemaat

Algeemaat are traditional Qatari sweets which look like small sticky balls of dough and are quite easy to make. I can easily devour a plateful!

What you will need:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 tablespoons of powdered milk
• 1 large spoon of sugar
• 1 large spoon of yeast
• 2 large spoons of custard
• 1/4 spoon of saffron
• 1/4 spoon of cinnamon
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of warm water
• A pinch of salt
• Cooking oil
• Syrup

Instructions:

1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl (except for the cooking oil) and mix to produce a dough like substance. Leave to rise for around an hour.
2. Roll the dough into small balls.
3. Fry the balls in a pan of oil until they are golden colour and crisp.
4. Drain, cover in syrup and they are ready to eat