Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Bariis Iskukaris
Fragrant basmati rice cooked with xawaash spice, caramelized onions, and raisins, Somalia’s festive celebration rice.
Somali · medium · serves 5
prep 20 min · cook 50 min
~798 cal · 46g protein · 106g carbs · 20g fat · 4g fiber · 16g sugars · 3g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bariis iskukaris is Somalia's festive spiced rice, fragrant basmati cooked in a rich broth with 'xawaash,' the Somali spice blend of cumin, coriander, , cinnamon, and cloves, then studded with caramelized onions and sweet raisins. Its aroma fills the house long before it's served.
The layering of savory spice with the sweetness of raisins and browned onions is characteristic of Somali cooking, which absorbed influences from Arab, Persian, and Indian traders over centuries. The rice is often crowned with fried onions and served alongside goat, beef, or chicken.
Bariis is the centerpiece of weddings, Eid, and any occasion worth marking in Mogadishu and across the Somali world. Traditionally eaten from a shared platter, it is generous, aromatic food built for gathering people together around a single dish.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, 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 5
2.5 cups basmati rice, rinsed
1.5 lbs goat, lamb, or chicken, on the bone
3 tbsp xawaash spice (cumin, coriander, , cinnamon, clove, turmeric, black pepper)
1 cinnamon stick
6 pods
3 whole cloves
to taste salt
3 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp ginger
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup raisins
1 tsp a little sugar
1/3 cup
a handful cilantro
1 green chili
Instructions
1
Toss the meat (or vegetables) with a third of the xawaash and salt, brown it hard, then add the onions, garlic, and ginger and cook until golden, followed by the whole cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
✎ Chef’s note
Whole spices in the pot and ground xawaash on the meat do different jobs: the whole ones perfume the broth as it simmers, the ground blend seasons the meat itself. Every Somali household has its own xawaash ratio.
2
Add the tomatoes and water to cover, and simmer 30 minutes (15 for the plant version).
3
Lift out the meat and measure the broth, topping it up to 4 cups for the rice.
✎ Chef’s note
Cooking the rice in the spiced meat broth is what carries the flavour all the way through every grain. Get the liquid measure right for fluffy, separate rice.
4
Add the rinsed rice to the broth, cover, and cook 15 minutes, then rest off the heat 10 minutes.
5
Meanwhile, fry the raisins in a little oil with the sugar until plumped, and separately fry a handful of onion until crisp.
6
Fluff the rice, fold the meat back through, and crown with the sweet raisins, crispy onions, cilantro, and chili.
Mogadishu celebration tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Mogadishu. Mogadishu turns lunch into bariis iskukaris, rice perfumed with the spice mix xawaash and cooked with goat or camel. Somali cooking shows Indian Ocean trade in cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon, alongside sambusa pastries and banana served beside the rice.
🗺️
Somalia. The seasoning that ties Somali cooking together is xawaash, a blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and more, whose name and form came from Yemeni hawa'ij across the water. Canjeero, also called laxoox, is the fermented sourdough pancake eaten at breakfast, a lighter cousin of Ethiopian injera made mainly from sorghum or a flour mix.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Somalia
CanjeeroA thin, spongy fermented pancake (laxoox) eaten with a drizzle of sesame oil, sugar, or stew.
SuqaarSmall cubes of meat sautéed with potato, peppers, and Somali xawaash spice, a quick everyday dish.
XalwoA dense, glossy, cardamom-scented sweet set with cornstarch and ghee, the centerpiece of every Somali celebration.
Browse all Somalia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within an hour. Keep up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot all the way through.
Make it a Somalia meal
Shaah SomaliDrink
XalwoDessert
Baasto iyo Suugo (Somali Spaghetti)Lunch
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Themes
Frequently asked questions
What is Bariis Iskukaris?
Fragrant basmati rice cooked with xawaash spice, caramelized onions, and raisins, Somalia’s festive celebration rice.
Where does Bariis Iskukaris come from?
Bariis Iskukaris is a Somali dish from Mogadishu, Somalia.
Can Bariis Iskukaris be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bariis Iskukaris 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 Bariis Iskukaris 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 Bariis Iskukaris take to make?
About 70 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking), serving 5.
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