Harissa recipe

An Armenian Easter porridge of shelled wheat and chicken cooked for hours, then beaten by hand until the meat disappears into a single creamy mass.

19 hours and 10 minutesmedium6 ingredients

Ingredients

• 500 g shelled wheat (korkot)
• 1500 g whole chicken
• 150 g butter
• 3000 ml water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 pinch ground cumin

How to make Harissa

1. Rinse 500 g of shelled wheat (korkot) and soak it overnight in cold water.
2. Put a whole chicken of about 1.5 kg in a large pot with 3 litres of water and 1 tablespoon of salt, and simmer 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat falls off the bone.
3. Lift out the chicken and keep the broth. Discard skin and bones, shred the meat by hand.
4. Drain the wheat, add it to the broth and cook on the lowest heat for 3 to 4 hours, stirring often so it never sticks. Top up with hot water if it tightens too much.
5. Return the shredded meat to the pot and cook 1 hour more.
6. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon or a pestle for 15 to 20 minutes until the fibres break down and the porridge pulls like a thick cream. This beating is the dish itself, a blender does not replace it.
7. Season with salt, ladle into bowls and pour 150 g of melted butter over the top with a pinch of ground cumin.

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