Recipes from our PalestineTeam

Maqluba with chicken

servings: 6-8

prepping time: 25 min

cooking time: 2HRS

Ingredients


1 medium eggplant or cauliflower
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp of ground allspice
1 tsp of ground cumin
1½ tsp of ground black pepper
½ tsp of ground cloves
6 green cardamom pods
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 medium sized onion
2.5 tsp of salt
Vegetable oil (corn or sunflower)
3-5 medium carrots
1 large potato
1 kg of chicken (6 to 8 large pieces on the bone – legs, thighs and/or breasts)
450 gr of medium grain rice
for serving: yogurt, cucumbers and tomatoes

Directions

  1. Mix all the ground spices (apart from the salt) in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Prepare the chicken broth: chop the onion into wedges, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish and fry the onion on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the saucepan and fry evenly on each side for about 5 minutes. When the chicken has some colour, pour about 1.3 litre of water in the pan, ensuring the chicken is completely covered. Throw in 3 to 4 bay leaves, 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and 1 heaped tablespoon of the spice mix, bring to boil then cover with the lid and let it simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes. As it cooks, some foam might form at the surface of the water. It’s best to remove this with a spoon so keep checking as it boils.
  3. While the chicken is cooking, get the vegetables ready. Peel the carrots and cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Cut the potato into slices of about 1cm. Chop the cauliflower into big chunks and wash. In a frying pan, heat a generous quantity of vegetable oil – about 0.5cm to 1cm deep. Fry all the vegetables in small batches until golden brown on each side. Use paper towel to soak up the oil.
  4. Thoroughly rinse the rice under running water to remove the starch.
  5. Once your chicken is cooked, take the pieces out of the broth and put aside. Pour the broth through a sieve into a separate bowl so you keep only the liquid, which you’ll use to cook the maqluba.
  6. You can now assemble the maqluba. In the same saucepan used to make the broth, lay down the chicken, then the vegetables and finally spread the rice over the vegetables to make three even layers. Sprinkle some more of the spice mix over the rice (a small tablespoon) plus 1.5 heaped teaspoon of salt. Now pour the broth in the pan until it reaches the same level as the rice or 0.5 cm above it (you’ll need about 700/800ml of broth). Place a small plate on the rice – this will keep it all in place as it cooks. Don’t mix the ingredients. Bring to boil, then cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until there is absolutely no liquid left. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn – once there is no water left, take it off the heat and leave to rest for 10/15 minutes with the lid on.
  7. The final step is to flip the dish upside down. Open the pan and remove the small plate. Put a large tray or plate over the pan, hold it tight and flip it over so the maqluba transfers to the tray or plate. Your maqluba is ready!
  8. Note that many people tend to sprinkle a handful of pinenuts (which you can quickly roast in a small frying pan) and parsley over the maqluba when it’s ready.

Musakhan

servings: 6

cooking time: 1hr 35mins

Ingredients

For Spice Mixture

3 tablespoon allspice
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tsp black pepper
¾ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground nutmeg

For Chicken

6 chicken legs, bone-in, skin on
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 tsp sumac
1 ½ tsp of spice mixture above

For Flatbread

Extra virgin olive oil
6 yellow onions, chopped
Kosher salt
1 tbsp sumac, more for later
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 teaspoon of spice mixture above
Toasted pine nuts, about ⅓ cup
6 flatbread such as Taboon bread

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (or 190 degrees C).
  2. Make the spice mixture. In a small bowl, combine allspice, cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. Mix well.
  3. Prepare and cook the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and place them on a lightly oiled sheet pan (or roasting pan). Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, season with kosher salt on both sides. Add 1 teaspoon sumac and 1 ½ teaspoon of the spice mixture. Give the chicken a good rub with your hands, making sure to get the spices underneath the skin. Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up and place on the middle rack of your heated oven. Roast for about 1 hour or until fully cooked (internal temperature should register 165 degrees F.)
  4. Prepare caramelized onion mixture for flatbread. While the chicken is roasting, work on the caramelized onions. In a large cooking skillet, put just over ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, chopped onions, kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sumac, 1 tablespoon cumin, and 2 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, adding a little bit of water (2tbsp or so at a time) as needed, until the onions have softened and cooked completely (about 30 to 40 minutes). Remove from heat.
  5. Check on the chicken, and if ready, remove from the oven. Pour any roasting pan juices into the caramelized onions. Cover chicken loosely with aluminum foil for about 15 minutes, while you assemble the flatbreads.
  6. Assemble Musakhan Flatbreads. Turn on your broiler. To assemble flatbreads, dip the edges of each bread in the oil on the surface of the onion mixture. Arrange flatbreads on a large baking sheet (you may do a couple flatbreads at a time). Spread enough of the caramelized onion mixture on the surface of each flatbread, leaving a small border around the edge (like pizza). Add a generous sprinkle of sumac. Add toasted pine nuts. Place under the broiler briefly (2 to 4 mins), watching carefully, until edges and onion mixture are nicely browned.
  7. Serve with a Tahini salad; lemon juice, salt, cucumbers , tomatoes , bell pepper (optional), red onion.(optional), parsley, fresh green mint.

Riz bi Haleeb

Rice pudding

servings: 5

cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients

½ cup dry Calrose rice, can also use short grain rice or Basmati
1 cup water
9 cups whole milk (divided)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons rose water
Chopped pistachios for serving

Directions

  1. Start by washing the rice. In a large pot, cook the rice with the water until the water is absorbed, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the milk (reserve ½ cup for the cornstarch slurry) along with the sugar to the pot of rice. Bring milk and rice to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir the mixture frequently, until the rice is fully cooked, and the milk begins to thicken, about 15 minutes.
  3. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining ½ cup of milk and transfer to the pot. Add the rose water and stir frequently until mixture thickens, about 15 more minutes.
  4. Transfer the mixture into 5-10 bowls, and allow to cool. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
  5. Add the chopped pistachios or other toppings, and serve warm or chilled.
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