Maqluba

The Method for Maqluba

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1. Cover the meat with water in a pot with the onion, cardamom, cinnamon, bay and salt. Simmer 60 minutes for lamb or 30 for chicken, skimming.

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2. Lift the meat out and strain the stock — you need 900 ml. Reserve both.

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3. While the meat simmers, salt the aubergine slices and leave 20 minutes, then pat dry.

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4. Fry the aubergine, cauliflower and potato separately in the hot oil until deep golden, 4 to 6 minutes each. Drain on kitchen paper.

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5. Drain the rice and toss it with the allspice, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, pepper and salt.

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6. In a heavy round pot, arrange a layer of the best-looking aubergine slices across the base and up the sides — this becomes the top when flipped.

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7. Add the meat, then the cauliflower and potato, then the rice, pressing it down gently and levelling the surface.

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8. Pour the hot stock over slowly so it does not disturb the layers. It should sit 1 cm above the rice.

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9. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 35 to 40 minutes. Rest, off the heat and still covered, for 10 minutes.

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10. Run a knife around the edge, set a large platter over the pot, and flip in one confident movement. Lift the pot away after 30 seconds and scatter with nuts and parsley.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Rest for ten minutes before flipping. This is what stops it collapsing.
2. Flip fast and commit. Hesitation is how maqluba ends up on the floor.
3. The vegetables can be roasted at 220°C / 430°F instead of fried, which is lighter though less traditional.

The Short Version

Frying the vegetables before layering drives out their water and firms them, so they hold their shape under the weight of the rice and do not release liquid that would turn the rice to porridge. Resting the pot for ten minutes before flipping lets the whole thing settle and firm, which is what allows it to hold its shape.

On the Table Alongside

Plain yoghurt or a garlic yoghurt sauce · Arabic salad with lemon and sumac · Pickled chillies

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Tabbouleh, Fattoush Salad, Flatbread.

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat portions covered; it will not hold its shape a second time.

Quick Answers

Nutrition per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted). Why some recipes have none.

Dairy-free when served with cucumber salad rather than plain yoghurt.

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