How long does it take to make Maqluba?

Soak the rice for at least an hour, and pour in stock to cover it by 1 cm.

2 hr 6 minTotal

11 minActive time

1 hr 56 minSetting

#	What to do	How long
1	Soak the rice at least 1 hour in water and drain	1 hr
2	Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant slices in it	3 min
3	Add the cauliflower florets and fry	5 min
4	Add the chicken and onion and fry	5 min
5	In a wide pot, layer the eggplant slices and cauliflower, then the chicken on top, and finally the drained rice	1 min
6	Add the stock to 1 cm above the rice, and bring to a boil	5 min
7	Turn down' the heat to very low', cover and simmer 35–40 minutes	38 min
8	Let the pot stand covered off the heat 10 minutes, then flip it confidently onto a large serving platter	10 min

Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
The bottom layer will be the top after flipping: arrange it neatly and tightly, and the rice above it holds everything together.
Resting off the heat firms up the rice, so the maqluba comes out whole.

What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook covered 20–25 minutes.
Cook the chicken first in water for about half an hour, or sear it about three minutes per side, and only then arrange it over the vegetables.
Take off the heat and wait ten minutes before flipping onto a platter.