Alsa / Alisa

Alisa is a very common dish in Malabar regions of Kerala which is influenced from the Arab culture and is  prevalent among the Malabar Muslims, Mapila / Moplah. It is mainly severed as a starter before the big lunch for the weddings and i just loved to eat it.

Harees is the Arabic version of Alisa and it is one of the Ramadan staples among Arabs. During Ramadans in Abudhabi, we usually receives brig trays of Harees from Arab Houses nearby. And me and my husband just indulge into it.

Coming back to Alisa, it is made out of husked wheat or skinless wheat, in Arabic it is called as "Hab Hareez" which is readily available in markets now. But i remember in olden days at my ancestral home there was one lady who came to do the process of removing skin from the wheat manually using a big mortar & pestle. And my grandmother used to store it for later use. And when we were there during vacation times she used to cook it for us. The seasoning for the Alisa plays a major role. This brings an extra taste to the dish. 

Also Alisa can be served with sugar as sweet and dish or with a spicy gravy as a savory dish. I have tried both and both are good. But i prefer the sweet one with lots of ghee and sugar, you know the taste from childhood😍. And my Mr. prefer it with any spicy gravy.

Alsa / Alisa
Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:-
Husked / Skinless Wheat -2 cups
Chicken - 300 gms
Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 2
Coconut Milk - 2 cups
Salt - to taste.

For Seasoning
Ghee - 4 to 5 tbsp
Shallots / Small onion - 6
Cashews
Raisins

Method:-
1. Wash and soak the wheat in water for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Drain the wheat and pressure cook them along with Chicken, spices, salt and pour enough water to cook the wheat.
3. Cook the wheat completely. Take out the spices and bone of chicken if any.
4. Mash the wheat using a hand masher (potato masher even) or use a blender to make it a coarse mix.
5. Add coconut milk and combine well. If you feel the consistency is too thick add more coconut milk.
6. Cook again till it boils, and off the flame.
7. In another pan, add ghee, fry finely sliced shallots till golden brown, add cashews and then add raisins.
8. Take the serving plate, spread required quantity of alisa, season it with prepared seasoning and sprinkle sugar over it.

Notes:-
1. The wheat can be even cooked in the 3rd coconut milk (the very thin cobnut milk after taking 1st and 2 milk).
2. Alisa can be served with Sugar or with any spicy gravy.