Maqluba – Upside-Down Rice with Chicken and Vegetables with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the Maqluba (Upside-Down Rice)

1. 4
   Soak the rice at least 1 hour in water and drain.

   Bowl

   💡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. 5
   Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant slices in it until golden. Remove and set aside.

   StoveFrying 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. 6
   Add the cauliflower florets and fry, until partly golden. Remove and set aside.

   Stove

   💡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. 7
   Add the chicken and onion and fry, until golden. Add the cumin, turmeric, baharat, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir.

   Stove
5. 8
   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. 9
   Add the stock to 1 cm above the rice, and bring to a boil.

   Stove
7. 10
   Turn down' the heat to very low', cover and simmer 35–40 minutes.

   StoveLid
8. 11
   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.