Chewy and nutty wheat berries bowl for a perfect and nutritious breakfast. Wheat berries cooked to tenderness then loaded with nuts and milk for a better start of your day.
Wheat berries breakfast recipe
I remember my sweet mom making Belila in cold winter days to warm us up in the morning and to give us enough energy to go through the day. Belila is the frugal version of the hot cereal that almost everybody can afford in Egypt- without the nuts of course.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Belila is also served in the "sohoor" which is the meal before start fasting at dawn. I also remember my late grandmother urging me to take Belila in sohoor - when I visited for sleepover- stressing on the fact that it fills you up, gives energy and keeps you hydrated. So Belila for me is not just another Egyptian recipe, it is a recipe I like to make for its sweet memories with the loved ones.
What kind of grains to use for Belila?
I am used to making belila with pelted wheat berries like what I did in the Ashure recipe. Recently, I've been making belila with wheat berries as it is much easier to find in nearby stores. Wheat berries are loaded with vitamins and fiber and have a pleasant chewy texture.
Soaking Wheat berries
The original recipe requires you to soak the wheat first over night, then discard the water and cook for almost 20-30 minutes. But because we are always in a hurry and forget such things you can just cook them in enough water, although it will take longer about 45-60 minutes.
How to serve wheat berries (Belila)?
There is really no right or wrong here. Serve Belila bowl with any sort of milk you like. Sweetened with sugar, honey agave and perfumed with cinnamon, rose water, orange blossom water, fennel, nutmeg, anise or vanilla. Add a crunch using nuts of your choice, raisins for sweetness or dry cranberries for some tartness. This wheat berries bowl is always served hot for breakfast or as a snack.
Wheat berries in the instant pot
You can cut the time of cooking drastically by cooking the wheat berries in the slow cooker. Cover with cold water and pressure cook for 30 minutes.
Related Recipes
- Ful medames is a traditional Egyptian dish that is made with cooked fava beans and a variety of spices and toppings. It is a staple on Egyptian breakfast or lunch.
- How about falafel? Egyptian, chickpeas, stuffed or baked for a lighter alternative.
- Or probably sweet tahini halva with freshly baked pita.
- Take your boiled eggs to the next level with this authentic dukka.
- Baghrir is the Moroccan style pancakes with a distinctive shape and texture. Made with semolina flour and served with honey and butter these pancakes are sure to impress.
Wheat Berries breakfast bowl (Belila)
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Wheat berries recipe, Egyptian Belila
Ingredients
- 1 cup Wheat berries washed thoroughly with cold water.
- 5-6 cups of water.
For serving:
- Milk sweetener of your choice, dried or fresh fruits and nuts.
For flavoring:
- Rose water cinnamon, orange blossom water, vanilla, nutmeg or any extract you like.
Instructions
- In a deep bowl add the wheat berries and cover with almost 4 cups of cold water. Let it soak overnight. Note1
- Drain wheat berries, and place in a pot, add the remaining 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for almost 30 minutes or for them to soften and splay.
- Drain keeping about ¼ cup of water in the pot to keep the wheat berries moistened.
- Enjoy with hot milk and you favorite serving options.
Brandy
Expecting a bad winter storm in the Northeast, I soaked my wheat berries last night so I can make a comforting bowl of belila for my family this morning. It did not disappoint. My favorite toppings are either roasted hazelnuts or toasted walnuts and golden raisins (also my favorite baklava filling). My Egyptian grandfather always splashes heavy cream in his belila which takes it to another level. Thanks for this hearty and warming recipe.
nunu
Your recipe doesn't make sense. You talk about pressure cooking it in a slow cooker. And then you talk about simmering it but it won't be simmered in a pressure cooker, it will be boiled. Perhaps you could clarify things a bit. I don't trust what your recipe is trying to say with all these contradictions.
Gina
Hi Amira.
I love bileela but have never made it because I always feel confused by what type of wheat to buy at my local Arabic foods store. I am so pleased to have found this recipe. You mention that you use wheat berries, but I don't think I've ever seen that locally. I decided to look for it on Amazon, but I see two varieties--hard wheat berries and soft wheat berries. I wonder if you could help to clarify which of these I should be using? Thank you.
Amira
Gina, thank you for your interest in this recipe.. actually both can be used here... hard wheat berries contain more protein but soft ones have more starch in them.. this is the only difference which will not have much difference for this recipe.
Iva
Hello Amira. One year ago I met the love of my live and my journey in Egyption cusine has started. It is so different from Balkan's one. My firsth basbusa was a total fail and I was so happy when I fount your blog. It is well organized and is in English. I know how difficult and time consuming is to support a such blog.Thanks a lot for Dear.
Amira
Iva, your comment made my day. I hope you'll live happily ever after. Poor girl, you've started your journey with the easiest, yet most difficult to master Egyptian recipe. It becomes so easy when you find the right recipe. I've tried for like a 100th time until I got it to where I am satisfied :). Thank you so much for the sweet comment.
Lili
Hi Amira! This reminded me of the wheat berries my grandmother would cook for us. She was Sicilian. We would eat ours savory with olive oil and spices. I love mine with Zatar! Also I was reading the comments and I think when the person was asking for a practical way to cook maybe you could use a rice cooker? Thank you for your recipes.
Amira
Lili, I have never had it savory before and when doing some research for this recipe I found that many people are making it savory and I want to try that. You grandma recipe sounds just like the perfect start. Thinking about the old comment I have, you might be right.