Recipe
Ingredients
CHICKEN KABSA
Bottom of Form
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
KABSA SPICE MIX:
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (cardamom powder)
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper (white pepper powder)
- 1/4 tsp saffron
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (cinnamon powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground all spice
- 1/2 tsp dried whole lime powder
CHICKEN KABSA:
- 2 tbsp oil or butter
- 3 onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger (ginger paste)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (garlic paste)
- 1 green chili
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg (nutmeg powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (black pepper powder)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin (cumin powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander (coriander powder)
- 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 200 g canned diced tomatoes (or 3 tomatoes chopped)
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 1 1/2 kg whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
- 3 cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Water
- Salt to taste
- Raisins, to garnish (optional)
- Slivered almonds, to garnish (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make kabsa spice mix, combine together cardamom, white pepper, saffron, cinnamon, all spice and lime powder in a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions turn golden brown. Add bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Fry for a minute.
- Stir in tomato purée. Add ground nutmeg, ground black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and kabsa spice. Season with salt. Fry the spices for a minute. Add carrots and diced tomatoes. Stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken cubes and chicken pieces. Brown chicken, turning occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan. Set aside.
- Add rice and raisins. Pour in 4 cups water. Season with salt. Bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with lid, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat grill. Grill chicken for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve rice with grilled chicken.
NOTES
– For rice, start with 3 cups of water, and then add more if needed.
– Whole lime powder is available in Middle Eastern grocery stores
– Kabsa spice mix recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Arabic Fattoush Salad
Fattoush is one of the most well known Middle Eastern salads and a standard dish on the ‘mezza’ (small dishes) table. It’s a colorful tossed salad with a lemony garlic dressing, and if you’ve never made a single Arabic dish, this is a delicious and healthy place to start.
Prep: 25 mins Cook: 5 mins Total: 30 mins Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
- 2 small (4 inch) pita breads, torn into pieces
- 1 large English cucumber, finely diced
- 3 cups halved grape tomatoes
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- ¾ cup chopped Italian parsley
- ¾ cup chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac, or to taste
- 1 clove garlic, crushed (or more to taste)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ounce sheep’s milk feta cheese
Directions
- Step 1
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pita pieces into the skillet without crowding. Fry in batches until golden brown and blot dry with paper towels.
- Step 2
Combine cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, garlic, salt, and ground black pepper in a bowl. Gently toss salad with fried pita pieces. Grate feta cheese on top using a small cheese grater.