What's traditional Qatari food you ask? Let's see, there are of course the classics, harees, luqaimat, majboos, madrooba and balaleet - just to name a few! But what has been on MY mind lately has got to be thareed. An underrated and underappreciated dish that is big in the Qatari cuisine, thareed is a hearty yet delicate underdog of the traditional kitchen of our peninsula. Nutritious veggies, regional spices, thing crispy bread, and a flavorful broth – need I say more?

It’s a stew and really it’s comfort food – perfect for this season! On windy, rainy days when you’re huddled up inside with your family, what could be more inviting than a hot stew jam-packed with flavor. As we want all of our readers to enjoy this dish, we will learn how to make a veggie version, but of course, there are plenty of recipes for the meaty version online too! Or you can always ask a Qatari friend to teach you how they make thareed!

Where to try Thareed in Qatar?

There are not many places in Qatar that offer this delightful dish in all its traditional glory! You'll definitely get good thareed at Hareesna and Muglat Harees Al Waldah and at Evergreen you can even find a vegetarian version during Ramadan and Eid. Otherwise, you’ll most likely find this enticing meal in people’s homes. And there’s barely anything better than home-cooked thareed, prepared with love and care for family and friends. Apart from being cooked in the winter months where temperatures drop and we need a certain vitamin-boost, thareed is also a star-guest during Ramadan and celebrations during Eid!

Thareed recipe

It’s recipe time and we can't wait to show you how to make Qatari thareed! However, instead of making it the traditional way with lamb, we will make it with a twist and make it vegetarian!

Okay without further ado let’s get to it! Preparation time: 10 mins Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

1 Jackfruit (fresh or canned) (or any meat substitute you prefer)
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 baby marrow
1 potato
1 large tomato
1 aubergine or 2 zucchinis (or both (; )
1 small pumpkin
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp oil (we use olive oil)
Vegetable stock
Thin Iranian bread (regaag)
1 small lemon (loomi)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
2 green chilies
1 tbsp Qatari all-spice
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Wash, and chop (not too finely) all vegetables.
2. Fry the onions with oil, cinnamon, and cardamom until the onion is lightly brown and fragrant.
3. Add ginger, garlic, and chilies.
4. Add the vegetables and fry them slightly. Make sure the jackfruit cooks for about 30 minutes in total. Stirring the jackfruit and lightly pulling it apart gives it a meat-like texture similar to pulled chicken and adds a unique taste to this thareed.
5. Add tomatoes and spices, cinnamon stick, coriander, and looming, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. You can leave some coriander to garnish.
6. Pour in 500 ml – 1l of vegetable stock dissolved in hot water (depending on how stewy or soupy you want it to be).
7. Bring the stew to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cook with closed lit and season with salt and pepper.
8. When all vegetables are cooked and you can easily pierce a fork through them, serve the stew on a bed of regaag (ripped into bite-size pieces). Garnish!
   
   
   
9. Invite your friends and enjoy it!

We cannot wait for you to try this recipe and to let us know how it tasted! Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you, it’s a very straight-forward recipe and fool-proof! It’s guaranteed to be mouth-wateringly delicious every time, and with practice comes perfection. Remember that thareed is meant to be shared, so make it for your family, friends or colleagues; they’ll love the gesture! Also – if you come across or know of any secret ingredients or methods to make this dish even more over-the-top-incredible, let us know in the comments!

And don’t forget to give us a like and a share – you know it keeps us going!

Written by Sarah

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ILQ Staff

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