Alisa – chicken and wheat porridge

Alsa/Aleesa/Harees – One of the favourite dishes ( Muslim) served before lunch or dinner as a starter.

A muslim dish which has some resemblance to the North African couscous.  It is prepared with white or off white coloured wheat,but the regular wheat can also be use

Ingredients 

• White wheat – 500 gms
• Boneless chicken – 250 gms
• Medium sized onions chopped – 2 nos
• Cinnamon stick 5 cm – broken into pieces
• Kishmish (sultanas) – 1 heaped tbsp
• Cashewnuts – 1 heaped tbsp
• Shallots – 10 nos chopped
• Ghee  4 tbsp  + 6 tbsp
• Salt – 1 1/2 tsp

Method

• Wash wheat and chicken and drain.  Cut chicken into 1 cm pieces
• Place wheat ,chicken,onions,cinnamon,salt,4 tbsp ghee and 5 litres water in a heavy based pan and cook,stirring frequently,for about 4o minutes till wheat is well cooked and soft, and water has evaporated.  Transfer to a wide plate
• Heat 6 tbsp ghee in a pan add kishmish and fry still they puff up.
• Remove from pan,drain and set aside.
• Add cashewnuts and fry still golden brown
• Remove from pan,drain and set aside
• Add shallots to pan and fry till brown
• Make a shallow depression in the centre of the alisa and pour in the ghee and fried shallots.  Garnish with reserved kishmish (sultanas) and cashew nuts
• Serve the alisa with sugar sprinkled in it

Alisa preparation ingredients nuts varieties packs are available in NatureLoc.com