Say ‘be my Valentine’ with a sumptuous Syrian supper

Freekeh ma’ jaaj - Freekeh with Chicken

This delicious dish of freekeh (smoked cracked green wheat), chicken and toasted nuts will provide a romantic meal for two (with plenty of leftovers for tomorrow).

This and so many other Syrian feasts available in full in our cookbook ‘Syria: Recipes from Home’.

Freekeh can come whole or cracked and can be green or yellowy-brown in colour, depending on how well it has been roasted. This recipe is for the whole, roasted kind. You may need to add more stock and cook for longer depending on which type of freekeh you are using. It’s available from most whole food or health stores, or Turkish or Middle Eastern shops.

This recipe also works brilliantly with a leg of lamb, coated in the same spices and slow-roasted in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

5 cardamom pods

7 cloves

1 chicken, cut up

salt, to taste

Handful of cashews and almonds

Butter, for frying

400g freekeh, rinsed and drained

Pomegranate seeds

olive oil, for drizzling

Method

In a large saucepan, fry the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken and fry for a couple more minutes to coat in the spices.

Cover the chicken with water, add some salt and leave to cook with the lid on for about 20 minutes, regularly removing any residue that forms on the top.

Fry the nuts in a frying pan with a little butter, and once golden brown, remove from the heat.

When the chicken is cooked, remove each piece from the stock and place on an oven tray. Preheat the grill to high.

Put the freekeh in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Then pour in enough of the chicken stock so that is is 1cm above the freekeh. It’s better to use a sieve so you don’t get any cloves or cardamom pods left in - you can discard these, but keep the cinnamon sticks for later. Allow the freekeh to simmer, with a lid on, for about 30 minutes, until cooked thoroughtly and all the water has evaporated.

About 10 minutes before the freekeh is ready, grill the chicken to crisp it. If you think it may be too dry, pour a couple of tablespoons of the chicken stock on top.

To serve, place the freekeh in a large serving bowl, add the reserved cinnamon sticks, place the chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with the fried nuts and pomegranate seeds. If you prefer your chicken in smaller pieces, you can shred it off the bone and mix it all together with the freekeh. Drizzle with olive oil.