A dish to turn that frown upside down
Join The National and Table Tales on a culinary journey around the Middle East to savour the quintessential dishes that embody the spirit of Ramadan. From table staples to family favourites, this series of recipes – one for each day of Ramadan – pays homage to the holy month and the home cook alike.
Often credited as the national dish of Palestine, maqluba is also popular in other regions that make up the Levant, from Iraq and Lebanon to Jordan and Syria. The dish finds mention in the 13th-century Kitab Al-Tabikh (Book of Dishes) written in the Abbasid period by Muhammad al-Baghdadi.
The dish got its name owing to the cooking style, which involves flipping the entire contents of the pot it is made in.
Recipe contributor Nisreen Bajis says: “This upside-down rice dish is a fixture in every Palestinian home. Comprising layers of aubergine, tomato, potato, caramelised onion and chicken; and simmered in a broth of turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, the aromas of this one-pot wonder take me back to weekend lunches with the family and conjure up images of my mum cooking up a storm in the kitchen, with her little helpers (my sisters and I). Maqluba is traditionally served with a tomato and cucumber salad and yoghurt.”
Maqluba (upside-down chicken and rice) Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients for the chicken broth 1 medium chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
1 dried lemon
5-7 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 tbsp sunflower oil or 1 tbsp ghee
Ingredients for the vegetable mix 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into 5mm-thick pieces 2 large tomatoes, sliced into 5mm pieces
1 large or 2 medium aubergines, sliced
2-3 medium carrots, sliced ¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp allspice mix (allspice, black pepper and clove powder) Pinch of nutmeg powder
1 cube Maggi chicken stock (optional)
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients for the rice mix
1 cup basmati rice and 1 cup Egyptian rice (mixed together, washed and soaked for at least 15 minutes)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp allspice
Finely grated nutmeg, generous pinch
Method
Place the chicken in a pot, cover with water and bring to the boil, removing any froth that comes to the surface.
Reduce the heat to medium and add all the remaining chicken broth ingredients. Simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
Once cooked, remove the chicken from the broth and set aside. Reserve the broth by pouring through a colander to remove the onion and spices.
Fry the onions in olive oil until just brown and set aside.
Brush the potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine and carrots in sunflower oil, place in a baking tray and bake in the oven until tender. You can also fry the vegetables, but baking is healthier.
Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil or ghee in a large pot (the same one you will be using to layer all the maqluba ingredients). Brown the chicken pieces for a couple of minutes on each side and remove the pot from the heat.
Once cooked, layer all the vegetables and fried onion on top of the chicken, and add the reserved chicken broth on top, enough to just cover them.
Add all the spices listed under the vegetable mix ingredients, including the lemon juice, on top. Bring to the boil then let it simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Spice the drained rice with all the spices listed under the rice mix ingredients, then add to the chicken and vegetables. The water should be one centimetre above the rice level. If your broth is not enough, add some water to top it up. Let the rice boil for 10 minutes, then cover the pot tightly and let it simmer on medium to low heat for 30 to 40 minutes.
Once cooked, let the pot sit for a few minutes before placing a large tray on top of the pot and flipping it over.
This dish has been brought to you by Nisreen Bajis and curated by international recipe hunter Hanan Sayed Worrell, author of Table Tales: The Global Nomad Cuisine of Abu Dhabi. The Table Tales concept celebrates the people and stories that give flavour to recipes of the Middle East