Maqluba – Spiced Upside-Down Chicken and Rice

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Meat Browned in the Rice Pot

1. 1
   Soak the rice in water 20 minutes and drain.

   Colander

   💡Soaking shortens the cooking, and the grains cook evenly.
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Add the onion and fry 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ 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 garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the chicken drumsticks and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.

   Stove
6. 6
   Add the turmeric, cumin, paprika, baharat, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir.

   Stove
7. 7
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 8
   Spread the rice in an even layer over the chicken drumsticks, without stirring, and bring to a boil.

   Stove
2. 9
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes without opening the lid, until the liquid is absorbed.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 10
   Turn off the heat and leave covered 5–10 minutes.

   💡Don't open the lid during cooking: the steam is what cooks the top layer. A towel between the pot and the lid absorbs the drips, so the rice doesn't get soggy.
4. 11
   Turn the pot out onto a serving platter, sprinkle the almonds on top and serve.