Belila, Egyptian Wheat Berry Porridge
Belila is an old Egyptian breakfast and a dish cooked to mark new beginnings, whole wheat berries simmered in sweetened milk until soft. This version keeps the intact grain, using farro for its chew, and cooks it in soy milk for a creamy body with real protein. The sweetness comes only from chopped dates melting into the pot and a scatter of raisins, so no sugar is added, and toasted walnuts give the bowl its richness in the small amount a whole food should. Where a smooth porridge is blended, belila stays deliberately chunky, and that texture is what makes it worth cooking. It reheats well all week.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Farro, rinsed
- 2 cups Unsweetened soy milk
- 1/2 tsp cassia cinnamon, ground
- 3 wholes Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 2 tbsp Raisins
- 1/4 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
Method
- Simmer the farro in 3 cups (710 ml) water in a covered pot until the grains are tender but still have a chew, 30 to 35 minutes, then drain off any water left behind. Belila is defined by whole, intact berries, so cook them until they are soft enough to give but stop well before they collapse; that bite is the whole point of the dish.
- Return the drained grain to the pot with the soy milk and cinnamon and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the milk thickens and turns creamy around the berries, about 8 minutes. Soy milk is used here because it is the one plant milk with enough protein to make a breakfast that holds you, and simmering it with the grain lets the starch pull it into a loose custard.
- Stir in the chopped dates and let them soften for a minute. The dates are the only sweetener, melting slightly into the milk so their caramel spreads through the whole pot rather than sitting in one spot.
- Spoon into bowls and top with the raisins and toasted walnuts. Toasting the walnuts first drives off their raw edge and makes their fat taste richer, so a small handful does the work of a larger one.
- Serve warm. It thickens as it sits, so loosen leftovers with a splash of soy milk when you reheat them through the week.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 280 calories, 10 g protein, 8 g fiber, 70 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
