Description
Maqluba is also known as Makloubeh, Maqlooba, and Magluba called “upside down rice”. It is a famous Arab dish popularly known as the Palestinian maqluba recipe. There are many versions of maqluba in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Egypt but they all are the same with minor differences in cooking methods. The main ingredients that this dish relies on are rice, meat, and vegetables which include tomato, potato, eggplant, onion, and cauliflower layered in a pot.
Ingredients
Scale
For Vegetables
- 2 medium potatoes sliced
- 1 large eggplant sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 tomato sliced thinly
- ½ cup of cooking oil
For chicken preparation
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cardamoms
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 chopped onion
- 900 g chicken with skin
- ½ tablespoon of salt
- ¼ tablespoon turmeric
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 4 cups of hot water
- ¼ tsp of lemon peel
For rice preparation
- 2 cups of long basmati rice
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons 7 spices
For garnishing:
- Chopped coriander or parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetaeble: First cut potatoes, tomato, eggplant, and onion into round slices. Take oil in a pan and deep fry potatoes and eggplant slices. After that separate the deep-fried vegetables and put them aside.
- Chicken Preparation: Add olive oil to a pot and add cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and chopped onion into the oil. Add the chicken to the pot and cook it until the chicken starts to change its color. After that add four cups of water and cook until the chicken starts to boil for 10 minutes. After it is cooked turn the flame off, separate the cooked chicken, sieve the broth, and set aside.
- Rice Preparation: Take the basmati rice and wash it thoroughly. Add all the spices turmeric, cumin, salt, black pepper, and seven spice mixture.
- Assembling and Cooking the Vegetables, Chicken, and Rice: Take oil that has been used to fry vegetables. Add it to the pot and spread it all over the pot. First arrange the first layer of tomatoes, then fried eggplants, fried potatoes, sliced onion, and cooked chicken. Add prepared rice on top and spread it over the layers. Even the rice layer on the top surface and add the broth such that it covers the rice layers to 1 inch. Add 4 cups of broth and water combined. Cook it for 20 minutes on low heat or until all water is absorbed. and turn the flame off, cover it and leave it for 15 more minutes to spread the flavors evenly.
- Flip it to make Upside Down Rice: The final and most awaited part has come in this maqluba recipe. Flip the pot on a large serving plate and wait for 5 minutes until all the rice, vegetables, and chicken get detached from the pot walls.
Notes
- Properly follow the layering technique. The order is tomato layer followed by eggplant and potato. Onion, chicken, and then rice layer.
- Always choose long basmati rice for the maqluba recipe for perfect maqluba.
- Choose fresh vegetables like eggplants and potatoes. Find fresh vegetables at the local market or from the local farmer.
- Slow and low cooking is the main tip for this recipe. Follow this principle to become an expert in making this dish with ease! If you cook on high flame the rice and vegetables would burn.
- Firmly hold the pan while flipping, pat the pot, and gently remove the pot. Don’t get disappointed if the rice spreads apart a bit because it will still taste excellent.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean