Harissa — Lebanese Wheat and Lamb Porridge

Whole wheat berries and lamb shoulder cooked for hours until they dissolve into a thick, silky porridge — the great communal dish of Lebanese mountain winters, ladled into deep bowls and topped with a river of clarified butter.

Ingredients

• 500 g whole wheat berries (hinteh)
• 800 g lamb shoulder, bone-in
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp seven spice (baharat)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2.5 liters water
• 80 g clarified butter (samn)

Method

1. Soak wheat berries overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse.
2. Place lamb shoulder, whole onion, cinnamon stick, and 2.5 liters water in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim foam aggressively for 5 minutes until broth is clear.
3. Add drained wheat berries. Reduce heat to very low, cover partially, and cook for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
4. When wheat berries have begun to soften, remove the lamb pieces. Pull the meat from the bones — it should fall off easily. Discard bones, skin, and cinnamon stick.
5. Return shredded lamb to the pot. Add ground cinnamon, cumin, seven spice, and salt.
6. Continue cooking on very low heat for another 60–90 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has reached a thick, porridge-like consistency where a wooden spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a clean trail for 2 seconds before the mixture flows back.
7. The harissa is ready when the wheat and lamb are completely indistinguishable — one unified mass.
8. Ladle into deep bowls. Heat clarified butter until just beginning to brown. Pour a generous ribbon over each bowl. Serve immediately.

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