Maqluba – Upside-Down Rice with Chicken 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
   Heat the oil in a skillet.

   StoveFrying pan
2. 5
   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.
3. 6
   Add the chicken and onion and fry, until golden. Add the cumin, turmeric, paprika, salt and black pepper and stir.

   Stove
4. 7
   In a wide pot, layer the cauliflower and tomatoes, then the chicken on top, and finally the 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.
5. 8
   Add the hot chicken stock to 1 cm above the rice, and bring to a boil.

   Stove
6. 9
   Cook over high heat 5 minutes. Turn down' the heat to very low', cover and simmer 25 minutes.

   StoveLid
7. 10
   Let the pot stand covered off the heat 10 minutes, then flip it confidently onto a large serving platter, sprinkle the pistachios on top.

   LidServing platter

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