Bariis iskukaris, also known as Isku-dheh karis, literally means “cooked mixed together”; bariis is rice and iskukaris means cooked.
It’s a bowl of spiced rice (the main spice is xawaash, a Somali mix) enriched with a meat stew (lamb, chicken, or goat) and vegetables.
▶It is a national dish of Somalia popular at weddings but is universally served as part of a daily meal.
▶It is often served in a clay pot called baris dhari.
👉It resembles the Indian pulao whose recipe is on the blog, but instead of using vegetable broth or water to cook the rice, this dish generally uses meat broth.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: African
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice (short-grain, not basmati)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 onions
- 1 tomato
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cinnamon stick
- to taste coriander
- 3 1/3 cups meat broth
- 2 teaspoons annatto
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 potato
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 1.5 lbs lamb (or goat or chicken)
- to taste salt
Steps
Soak the rice and drain.
In a pot, preferably clay, sauté the onion in oil, add the tomato, garlic, and cinnamon stick. Season with salt, add coriander, 1 teaspoon of xawaash, and the lamb (or other meat).
Let it flavor for a few minutes, add the rice. Do not stir.
Cover with meat broth.
Cook for 20 minutes.
Mix 1 teaspoon of annatto (or saffron) with a teaspoon of water and add to the rice.
Add the raisins rehydrated in water.
Cut the potatoes into sticks, add 1 teaspoon of annatto and fry in oil for 5/6 minutes. Set aside.
In the same oil, sauté the onion, and add the sliced bell pepper.
Garnish the rice with potatoes and bell peppers, and serve with banana on the side.
Comparison with Poke:
The Bariis iskukarus just like its Hawaiian counterpart Poke, is a balanced dish.
The Bariis iskukarus just like its Hawaiian counterpart Poke, is a balanced dish.
Let’s compare them:
1️⃣ POKE, from Hawaii with:
PROTEIN, tempeh marinated with soy sauce, coconut oil, lime, ginger and maple syrup, then grilled;
VEGETABLE, arugula and red cabbage
GRAIN, gohan rice (sticky rice steamed)
FAT, avocado
Dressing: soy sauce
Eaten with cutlery or chopsticks.
2️⃣BARIIS ISKUKARIS, from Somalia with:
PROTEIN, lamb meat
VEGETABLE, bell pepper and potato baked (instead of fried)
GRAIN, basmati rice cooked by absorption
FAT, sesame oil
Added mix of spices called xawaash and raisins.
Eaten with hands with the aid of a banana slice, or with a fork.
1️⃣ POKE, from Hawaii with:
PROTEIN, tempeh marinated with soy sauce, coconut oil, lime, ginger and maple syrup, then grilled;
VEGETABLE, arugula and red cabbage
GRAIN, gohan rice (sticky rice steamed)
FAT, avocado
Dressing: soy sauce
Eaten with cutlery or chopsticks.
2️⃣BARIIS ISKUKARIS, from Somalia with:
PROTEIN, lamb meat
VEGETABLE, bell pepper and potato baked (instead of fried)
GRAIN, basmati rice cooked by absorption
FAT, sesame oil
Added mix of spices called xawaash and raisins.
Eaten with hands with the aid of a banana slice, or with a fork.
The differences between the two:
– the grain in poke is usually served cold or lukewarm
– aesthetically, poke is served with each element separated and over the grain.
They can be served in a bowl.
