Levantine cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Maqluba

Palestinian layered rice with fried eggplant, cauliflower and chicken, flipped out of the pot to serve.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 800 g boneless chicken thigh
• 2 eggplants
• 1 head cauliflower
• 400 g long-grain rice
• 2 onions
• 2 tsp baharat (Arabic spice blend)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 50 g pine nuts
• 800 ml chicken broth
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the rice in lukewarm water for 30 min; cut the eggplants into 1 cm thick slices, salt them and let sit for 15 min to draw out the water, and break the cauliflower into florets.
2. Sear the chicken in large pieces in 3 tbsp olive oil on all sides, add the onion quarters, cinnamon stick, baharat and chicken broth and simmer gently for 25 min; remove the meat and strain the broth, reserving it.
3. Pat the eggplant dry and fry it with the cauliflower in the remaining olive oil in batches until golden brown, then drain on paper towels.
4. Oil a wide pot, line the bottom with the eggplant slices, layer the chicken and cauliflower on top and finish with the drained rice, turmeric, salt and pepper.
5. Carefully pour in the reserved broth until it covers the rice by 1 cm, bring to a boil once, then cover and let steam over the lowest heat for 25-30 min.
6. Let the pot rest for 10 min, cover with a large platter and flip it over in one decisive motion; serve sprinkled with the dry-toasted pine nuts.