Maqluba – Upside-Down Rice with Chicken and Vegetables

👨‍🍳 Method

1. 1
   Soak the rice at least 1 hour in water and drain.

   ⚙ SoakingBowl

   💡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.
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant slices in it until golden. Remove and set aside.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan

   💡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.
3. 3
   Add the cauliflower florets and fry, until partly golden. Remove and set aside.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡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.
4. 4
   Add the chicken and onion and fry, until golden. Add the cumin, turmeric, baharat, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
5. 5
   In a wide pot, layer the eggplant slices, cauliflower and carrot, then the chicken on top, and finally the drained rice.

   Wide, shallow pot

   💡The bottom layer will be the top after flipping: arrange it neatly and tightly, and the rice above it holds everything together.
6. 6
   Add the stock to 1 cm above the rice, and bring to a boil.

   Stove
7. 7
   Turn down' the heat to very low', cover and simmer 35–40 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
8. 8
   Let the pot stand covered off the heat 10 minutes, then flip it confidently onto a large serving platter and serve with yogurt.

   LidServing platter

   💡Resting off the heat firms up the rice, so the maqluba comes out whole.