Freekeh with Rooster – A Pinch of Journey

Freekeh with rooster is a really conventional Center Japanese dish made with a smoky historic grain referred to as “freekeh”, “farik” or “frikeh”. On this Lebanese freekeh recipe, inexperienced durum wheat grains are soaked, seasoned and cooked, then topped with scrumptious juicy braised rooster and sautéed nuts.

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If you’re searching for a special strategy to make rooster, or a special aspect dish to substitute for rice, you got here to the suitable recipe. I’m at all times up for an journey in consuming, and this recipe for rooster freekeh will get you simply that!

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By no means had Freekeh grain earlier than? This recipe and put up gives you the obtain for every part it’s essential learn about cooking with freekeh and what’s freekeh!

New to this type of cooking? Take a look at this text -> The Ultimate Guide to Lebanese Cuisine which hyperlinks to a complete slew of scrumptious Lebanese recipes!

Origins

So, the place is Freekeh from and what’s it? Freekeh (pronounced simply how it’s spelled or “freak-uh”) is an historic grain manufactured from inexperienced durum wheat that originated within the Center East. Freekeh is taken into account an historic superfood and is a really wholesome wholegrain full of protein and fiber.

Inexperienced wheat freekeh are child wheat berries which can be harvested early. Earlier than it’s packaged, it’s rubbed to eliminated any chaff from the surface, and hearth roasted which supplies it a novel smoky taste.

There actually are two sorts of freekeh: entire grain freekeh and cracked freekeh. Let’s examine these 2 sorts.

Wholegrain vs Cracked freekeh:

• Wholegrain Freekeh: This type of freekeh wheat is produced from hearth roasted child inexperienced wheat that’s left entire and intact. It requires an extended cooking time and in addition soaking.
• Cracked freekeh: can also be produced from child inexperienced durum wheat that’s roasted, however is cracked and damaged into smaller, extra tender items. It does cook dinner sooner, however doesn’t retain the chewier texture of the freekeh in entire grain kind. When it’s cracked, it’s mainly bulgur wheat.

For those who seek for recipes with freekeh, you can see that the cooking time for freekeh varies extremely from recipe to recipe. The distinction in cooking time lies inside which type of freekeh is used.

What does freekeh style like? Cooked freekeh has a really distinctive taste and texture. It’s smoky, nutty and even barely fruity all on the identical time. The feel, particularly of the entire grain, is just like an al dente pasta that’s barely even a bit of bit chewier.

🥘 Substances

The elements for this freekeh with rooster recipe are:

• wholegrain freekeh (aka greenwheat freekeh)
• entire rooster or rooster items for roasting (I used rooster leg quarters)
• slivered almonds and cashew items
• rooster inventory
• onion
• additional virgin olive oil
• butter
• salt
• floor black pepper
• cinnamon (or Lebanese 7 spices)
• minced garlic
• dried mint
• lemon juice

On this Lebanese freekeh recipe, I take advantage of wholegrain freekeh versus cracked. The feel of the grain on this freekeh rooster recipe is plump and chewy. With the addition of the toasted almond slices and cashews, it turns into a scrumptious freekeh pilaf!

🔪 Directions

In the case of the way to put together freekeh, we’ll start by soaking it. Soaked freekeh will cook dinner extra evenly, and it’ll do away with something undesirable on the surface freekeh grain itself. On this recipe for freekeh, it does have to be soaked for 30-45 minutes, so ensure that to permit the time to do this.

Whereas the freekeh is soaking, put together your rooster and preheat the oven to 400 ℉. Evenly coat the rooster in olive oil, evenly sprinkle the spices on high and braise the rooster within the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or till it’s cooked by way of.

The rooster recipe is similar to one other one in every of my recipes referred to as Mediterranean Grilled Chicken. And let me let you know, it’s good! My children LOVE it!

Whereas the rooster is cooking and after the freekeh has soaked, give it one other rinse in water, then drain it completely.

How you can cook dinner freekeh:

Chop the onions. Warmth a number of tablespoons of olive oil in a big pot or Dutch oven over medium-high warmth. Add the onions and cook dinner them till they simply start to brown and caramelize. Add the freekeh and cook dinner it with the onions for a couple of minutes.

Now, add the rooster inventory, water and spices to the pot. Flip the burner to medium warmth, cowl and let the freekeh simmer, stirring it sometimes.

The grains will ultimately soak up the liquid and it’ll change into plump but nonetheless barely chewy. It would take no less than 45 minutes to cook dinner, perhaps even a couple of minutes longer.

For those who assume it’s operating out of liquid, or that it wants extra, add a bit of bit at a time.

For those who see different recipes for freekeh that decision for a a lot shorter cooking time, they’re almost certainly utilizing cracked freekeh.

Now it is time for a brilliant delish a part of this recipe, the sautéed nuts! Within the typical Lebanese freekeh dish, the nut of alternative is often almonds. I like almonds and I take advantage of these on this dish additionally, however I additionally use cashews.

In a small saucepan, warmth the butter and a bit of little bit of olive oil collectively within the pan till scorching. Add the slivered almonds and cashew items and sauté them collectively stirring consistently. As soon as they start to brown and toast up on all sides, take away the nuts from the warmth and sprinkle them with salt.

You can even add some pine nuts as properly, yum!

When the rooster and the freekeh are executed cooking, I wish to put the cooked freekeh on a big platter and place the braised rooster on high. Add the toasted nuts excessive, and for those who so want, squeeze a lemon over all of it. Serve and luxuriate in!

🥗 Serving options

Most Lebanese dishes go very well with some kind of yogurt, whether or not its plain yogurt or this mint yogurt sauce. This dish would additionally go actually nice with homemade pita bread and a few kind of Lebanese salad like Tabbouleh or Fattoush.

Substitutions

Usually, cracked freekeh is taken into account a substituted for bulgur. So in case you are searching for an alternative choice to freekeh, I’d advocate course bulgur, couscous, barley or if you’d like it to be gluten free, use quinoa. Any of these grains could be a great freekeh substitute.

FAQ’s

Is freekeh more healthy than rice?

Usually, freekeh is more healthy than rice. Although it’s a carb, it’s a entire grain which is taken into account a sluggish carb and is extra coronary heart wholesome than bleached and handled grains. It is usually full of protein and fiber!

Is it gluten free?

No, freekeh will not be gluten free in any respect, since it’s wheat. If you’re searching for a gluten free substitute for freekeh, I’d counsel quinoa.

Take a look at these different common recipes from A Pinch of Journey!

🍽 Gear

The place to purchase Freekeh:

Freekeh will be discovered at your native Mediterranean retailer. If you do not have an ethnic retailer that sells freekeh inexperienced wheat, you may as well buy it on Amazon right here by way of my affiliate hyperlink.

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📖 Recipe