Syrian Sliha

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 cup pinenuts 
• 0.3 cup pomegranate seeds 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.3 cup sugar 
• 1 cup pistachios unsalted shelled
• 0.3 cup coconut or shredded unsweetened
• 1 cup walnuts chopped (in)
• 1 cup wheat berries white soft

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• sieve
• ziploc bags
• colander
• cutting board
• cheesecloth

Directions

1. Soak the wheat berries in a big bowl of cool water for at least 8 hours and up to 16 hours.
2. Drain the wheat berries in a fine-mesh sieve or a small-holed colander set in the sink. Dump the grains into a medium saucepan with the fennel seeds and fill the saucepan two-thirds of the way with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grains are tender, about 50 minutes.
3. Drain again in that sieve or colander; if you're using a standard colander with larger holes, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels so you don't lose the fennel seeds.
4. As the wheat berries cook, scatter the pistachios, pine nuts, and walnuts in a large dry skillet and set it over medium-low heat. Toast, stirring once in a while, until the nuts are lightly browned, maybe 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Spread them out on a large cutting board and cool for a few minutes; then chop them into small pieces, about the size of the wheat berries themselves.
6. Scrape the wheat berries and fennel seeds into a big bowl.
7. Mix in everything else: the chopped nuts, sugar, pomegranate seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Cool to room temperature before serving, or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for breakfasts (or snacks) in the week to come.
8. Make ahead:Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 week.CHEF IT UP!•
9. Add 1/2 teaspoon rose water with the cinnamon and salt.GRAIN SWAPS•Substitute 1 cup Kamut for the wheat berries.TESTERS' NOTES•Syrian Jews in Damascus make this pomegranate, grain, and nut mixture to celebrate a baby's first teething—probably to remind the grown-ups of why they have teeth in the first place! Still and all, it makes a perfect breakfast. Spoon it into bowls on its own—or serve it with a little garnish of plain yogurt. It can be eaten at room temperature or cold from the fridge.•Because the wheat berries are cooked with the fennel seeds, there's no real way to save time by using precooked grains. That said, you can cook the wheat berries with the fennel seeds up to 2 days in advance and store them in a zip-closed plastic bag in the fridge.
10. Reprinted from Grain Mains: 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Copyright © 2012 by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Photographs by Tina Rupp. Published by Rodale, Inc.