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Bariis iskukari

Bariis iskukari is a traditional Djibouti recipe for a classic pilau-style dish of coloured rice topped with fried potatoes and onions. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Djibouti version of: Bariis iskukari.

prep time

80 minutes

cook time

40 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesDjibouti Recipes



This is a flavourful and fragrant Somali pilau-style rice dish made with basmati rice, goat meat, and a blend of aromatic spices. Perfect for a special occasion or celebration. This dish is prepared in both Djibouti and Somalia.

Ingredients:

For the Rice Pilaf:
60ml vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small tomato, diced
1 cinnamon stick
salt, to taste
1 vegetable stock cube
10g fresh coriander (stems and leaves), chopped
1 tbsp xawaash spice blend
400g basmati rice, soaked in a bowl of water for at least 1 hour and drained
600ml hot water
1 drop red food colouring mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
3 drops orange food colouring, mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
40g raisin

For the Topping:
1 large russet potato, cut into 6mm thick matchsticks and patted dry
⅛ tsp orange food colouring, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of water
oil, for frying
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
½ red bell pepper, sliced into strips

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.

Place an oven-proof cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Once hot add the vegetable oil, onion, tomato, garlic, and cinnamon stick. Fry until the onions have softened slightly (about 5-6 minutes) then season to taste with salt.

Reduce the heat to medium, then stir in the xawaash and soaked rice (drain the rice first). Cook for about 3 minutes so rice grains are gently toasted. At this point crumble over the stock cube and pour over the hot water.

Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover the pot then transfer to your pre-heated oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Check periodically to be sure the rice has sufficient water to cook.

Remove the cooked rice from the oven and drizzle the red and orange food colourings on top. Gently mix so there you have a combination of differently coloured grains.

Sprinkle the raisins over the hot rice, cover, and set aside.

For the topping, in a medium-sized bowl, mix the potatoes with the orange food colouring (wear gloves if you want to avoid stained fingers!).

Heat about 3cm of oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the potatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes, then transfer to a baking tray lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

In the same oil, fry the onion slices until browned and crispy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the red bell pepper strips and cookk for an additional minute. Drain on paper towels.

To assemble the rice, transfer the pilaf to a large serving platter. Top with the fried potatoes, crispy onions, and red bell peppers. Serve hot