food
Maqlooba
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds chicken
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- ¼ cup cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 4 ½ cups water
- For the rice mixture:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 ½ pounds jasmine rice
- 1 ¾ cups vermicelli
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon allspice
- ½ tablespoon cardamom
- 1 tablespoon 7 spice blend
- For the fried vegetables:
- 1 head cauliflower, separated
- 1 eggplant, peeled and sliced
- 3 potatoes, sliced
- 5 cups canola oil
Steps
- Prepare the chicken and stock.
- Add oil, chopped onion, chicken, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and salt to a large pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add water and bring to a boil, skimming the foam off the top as it goes.
- Remove chicken and place it in the maqlooba pot; save the stock for the rice mixture.
- Prepare the fried vegetables.
- Fry sliced eggplant, potatoes and cauliflower in the canola oil. Dry on paper towels then layer them on top of the chicken in the maqlooba pot.
- Prepare the rice.
- Fry vermicelli until golden brown, then place on paper towel.
- Soak rice for 10 minutes, then drain and add salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, all spice, powdered cardamom and 7 spice blend. Mix in the vermicelli and layer it over the chicken and fried vegetables.
- Ladle in about 4 cups of the leftover chicken stock or until you can see it a quarter inch under the rice. Cover with a lid and cook on medium until the stock boils away. Once the stock boil away, after about 25 to 30 minutes, remove the lid, place a large pan on top of the pot and flip. Carefully remove the pot.
- Serve and enjoy!