Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Jareesh
A Najdi Saudi comfort dish of crushed wheat slow-cooked with meat and yogurt into a creamy, savoury porridge.
Saudi · medium · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 150 min
~280 cal · 23g protein · 23g carbs · 10g fat · 3g fiber · 3g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Jareesh is one of the most beloved traditional dishes of Najd in central Saudi Arabia, built on crushed wheat that is slow-cooked until it breaks down into a creamy, porridge-like stew. Meat or chicken and a generous amount of yogurt cook in with the grain, and in some areas crushed tomato tints it a warm red.
Stirred patiently for a couple of hours with a wooden spoon called a miswat, it is finished with and dried lime and served for family gatherings across Riyadh. It is simple, humble food that tastes of long cooking and care.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
1 cup cracked wheat (jareesh)
1 lb chicken or lamb, in pieces
1 cup plain yogurt
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter or
1 tsp dried lime powder
5 cups water
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Rinse the cracked wheat well and soak it while you start the rest of the dish.
2
Melt the butter in a heavy pot and soften the onion and garlic, then add the meat and brown it lightly with the cumin and pepper.
3
Drain the wheat, stir it in to coat, then pour in the water and bring to a boil.
4
Reduce to low and simmer, stirring often, for 2 to 3 hours until the wheat has broken down and the mixture is thick and creamy, adding water as needed.
✎ Chef’s note
Stir from the bottom often: jareesh scorches easily once it starts to thicken.
5
Stir in the yogurt, mash to a smooth porridge, then serve topped with a little melted ghee and the dried lime powder.
Najdi home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Riyadh. Najdi kabsa, the version made here, leans on dried lime and is built with lamb, goat or camel rather than chicken. The rice cooks in the meat broth so it takes all of it up, and it comes to the floor on one wide platter with four to ten people sitting round it and eating with the right hand.
🗺️
Saudi Arabia. Saudi cuisine centers on kabsa, spiced rice with meat, and the Bedouin traditions of dates, camel, and coffee. Hospitality is sacred, and vast shared platters define feasts across the kingdom.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Saudi Arabia
KabsaSpiced rice cooked in aromatic broth with chicken, dried lime, and a whole-spice perfume, heaped high for sharing.
MasabibSoft, holey yeasted pancakes drenched in date syrup or honey, a Hejazi and Saudi breakfast.
MutabbaqA thin folded pastry stuffed with spiced minced meat and egg, griddled crisp, a favorite Saudi street snack.
Browse all Saudi Arabia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Saudi Arabia meal
AreekaDessert
MutabbaqLunch
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Jareesh?
A Najdi Saudi comfort dish of crushed wheat slow-cooked with meat and yogurt into a creamy, savoury porridge.
Where does Jareesh come from?
Jareesh is a Saudi dish from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Can Jareesh be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Jareesh recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Jareesh safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Jareesh take to make?
About 165 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 150 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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