Recipe from Maha Sarsour
Adapted by Francis Lam
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(936)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A Palestinian tradition, maqluba means “upside down” in Arabic and is a pot of stewed meat, rice and fried vegetables, cooked and flipped onto a serving dish to form an impressive tower. In Maha Sarsour’s version, the rice is richly spiced with cinnamon, allspice and more, and the chicken simmers to tenderness as it gives its flavor to the rice. —Francis Lam
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6 to 8
- 1medium eggplant (1 pound)
- Salt
- 3½pounds bone-in chicken pieces
- 1½teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 6cloves
- 6green cardamom pods
- 3bay leaves
- 2½cups long-grain rice, rinsed well and drained
- 1small onion, cut into large wedges
- Vegetable or olive oil, as needed
- 3 to 5medium carrots, 2-or-3-inch pieces
- 1medium potato, ½-inch slices
- ½medium-head cauliflower, in florets
- ¾cup broken vermicelli noodles (see note)
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼teaspoon ground cloves
- ½teaspoon Goya Sazón seasoning (optional)
- 3garlic cloves, grated
- ⅓cup pine nuts
- Plain yogurt, for serving (optional)
- Chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
785 calories; 35 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 46 grams protein; 1070 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Cut the eggplant into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Season well with salt, and let sit 30 minutes. Place the chicken in a large pot (a 10-inch, 5-quart size is ideal), and season well with salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground cumin, cloves, cardamom pods and bay leaves (ideally, do this the day before). Pour 3 cups of boiling water over the rice. Soak for 10 minutes, then drain well.
Step
2
To the chicken, add the onion wedges, 1 tablespoon salt and 4½ cups of water. Bring to a boil, covered, over high heat, then turn down to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Drain the chicken, keeping the broth and discarding the onion and spices.
Step
3
Heat ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot, then fry the carrots, in batches if necessary, turning occasionally until browned, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then season lightly with salt. Repeat with the potato, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the cauliflower, about 7 minutes per batch. Finally, press the eggplant with paper towel until dry, then fry the eggplant in one layer until browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, but don’t season. (If the eggplant is too oily, press on it with paper towels.)
Step
4
Pour out the oil, keeping 2½ tablespoons in the pan. Heat it over medium-high heat and add the vermicelli, stirring until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the drained rice and cook, stirring, to dry it out, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, the turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, Sazón and garlic, and cook, stirring, until very fragrant.
Step
5
Place the chicken back in the pot, skin side down. Place the vegetables on top, then rice. Pour in 4 cups of the chicken broth. Press down on the rice; add more broth or water if needed to bring the liquid barely to the level of the rice. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn it down to medium low. After 10 minutes, carefully stir just the rice to evenly combine the harder rice on top. Repeat after another 10 minutes. After a total of 30 minutes, the rice should be cooked, but not soft, and the liquid should be absorbed.
Step
6
Place a very large serving dish on top of the pot, then, protecting your hands (and maybe with a partner), invert the pot onto the dish in one smooth motion. If there is liquid seeping out, spoon it out or soak it up with paper towels. Let the pot rest at least 5 minutes.
Step
7
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Fry the pine nuts, stirring constantly, until browned, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
Step
8
Lift off the pot to reveal the maqluba, and scatter the pine nuts all over. Serve with yogurt and chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley on the side, seasoned with lemon, salt and olive oil.
Tip
- The noodles are shereya in Arabic or fideos in Spanish; or, if necessary, take angel-hair pasta and break it into 1-inch pieces.
Ratings
4
out of 5
936
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Cooking Notes
S
Wish there had been a video for this ....
mf solomon
there is a video, sorta, that I found helpful. you might reference Anthony Bourdain PARTS UNKNOWN Ssn 2 Episode 1: Jerusalem. the one shown is "MAQLUBA, traditional Palestinian dish comprised of layers of fried
Eggplant, Tomatoes, Potatoes, caramelized Onions and Chicken sautéed then simmered in a broth w/ nutmeg, Cinnamon Cardamom and Rice."
there's also this site with helpful photos: http://www.kitchenofpalestine.com/maqluba/
Meemselle
The directions in this recipe are not good. The author needs to review them. I am a very experienced cook, and I found this baffling. Luckily, Middle Eastern cooking is one of my skills, and I was able to apply my knowledge to this. But for a less experienced cook, this recipe would be baffling.
The end result was divine. I love this presentation, and will do it again.
LiveToFish
Try to find the real shereya. Fideos are close. Angel hair is a poor substitute.
What do you do with the Goya Sazón seasoning ?
Sharon Knettell
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/opinion/making-pesto-hold-the-pine-nut...
Over use of pine nuts have stripped native animal populations of an essential food. I have stopped using them.
STA
Yes, mushrooms work too. Sauté them till all water evaporates. I don't fry all the vegetables, too much oil. I spray the eggplant slices with Pam or similar product & roast in oven.
Frances Grahamjones
I followed the recipe religiously until I reached the tablespoon of salt to be added with the rice seasonings in Step 4. Given the EVERYTHING was already well salted, it seemed like overkill. I even rinsed the salt off the eggplant. It turned out perfectly and I'm looking forward to finishing off that last remaining serving for breakfast. One last thing, I knew there was no way to complete that dish in an hour and 45 minutes. My time was more like 2:30
Laila
absolutely, you can! I grew up eating vegetarian maqlouba. I'd follow the exact same recipe and just omit the meat! Enjoy! :)
Ellen
Bitterness is very rarely an issue with eggplant these days. The salting removes excess water from the eggplant, so it won't spatter when you fry it. More important, salting prevents the eggplant from soaking up oil like a sponge, which it otherwise will do. You also wind up with a much firmer, meatier texture in the end.
Alanna
Yo! I am almost finished with this dish but...anyone else find it EXTREMELY OILY?!!!! I am so disappointed. Please folks, there is NO NEED to fry EVERY vegetable! Just bake them!. Wish I would have thought this through. I hope it is not too terrible.
ccarp
This was amazing!! I did make a few changes:I roasted all the veggies in the oven ( I would increase the veggie amount next time). This helped the dish not be oily like many people commented.I also reduced the salt, replacing the Tablespoons called for with a teaspoon. After blooming the spices, I added the rice back to the pot to incorporate the spices throughout the rice. Then removed the rice from the pot, added a little oil, then the chicken. After that I just followed the recipe.
Mary U
In Jordan they serve this dish on a large stainless steel tray because there is so much food in the pot. Otherwise, once you begin to spoon out servings there is a landslide of tasty vegetables and rice. And it is served with fresh yoghurt - wonderful!
EM Prentiss
I've eaten it made with lamb, it was awesome!
Jacqueline
Made exactly as described: a big hit with the fam who are used to middle eastern fare. Do be very careful when flipping over, I made this in an oval Le Creuset (6 3/4 quart) where it fit perfectly, but it is VERY heavy to flip- a two person job. Also layer each vegetable separately to make sure there are bites of each type in each serving - I put them all in a big bowl after frying them and eggplant for ex tended to clump together. It can be a bit oily, be sure to use lots of paper towels.
Michael
We would like to add a colorful veggie to this. Any suggestions? I lived in Jordan for a year, and I don't recall if they added sweet red peppers to any of their foods. Cauliflower tastes great, but looks boring (visually). We'll leave it in ... but do you see my point? Or am I just being silly. Ha.
Ann
Cook it long enough- or you'll end up with incredibly fragrant liquid running out of the maqluba all over the kitchen!
Amanda Dakroub
Great recipe! I made this but with chicken breasts cooked in my Instant Pot along with all of the spices noted in the recipe and then transferred to a pot on the stove for the final assembly of adding the vegetables and rice. I also added raw cashews and golden raisins for a meal was beyond delicious. Bonus was that it actually came out in a beautiful mold as pictured! I served with salad and yogurt.
Michael D
Recommendations anyone on how to make this with brown rice? Long grain or medium grain?
Elizabeth
I couldn’t bring myself to boil the chicken. I fry the chicken pieces with the onions and garlic for two minutes on each side, and boil them for 10 minutes instead of the 20 called for in the recipe when the water was first added. With this amount of food, there’s no practical way of having the dish coming out outside down. My diners didn’t know that was how it was supposed to be served and happily ate the fragrant and delicious meal.
Anne
Only used 3 whole cloves and none ground
Anne
Only used 3 whole cloves and no ground per recipe.
max
Baked the vegetables instead of frying. Baked at 375 with olive oil, s&p. When finished baking, tossed them in the spices, garlic, and olive oil.Used brown rice instead of white. Added 5 cups of boiling water to rice and cooked for 20 minutes instead of 10, and then drained. Browned the chicken before boiling and reduced boil time to 10 minutes instead of 20.
Christine
Used sunchokes, rutabaga, and turnip instead of potatoes, red cabbage instead of cauliflower, and roasted all at 400 F rather than fry (add cabbage last so it doesn't burn). I browned the chicken in the stockpot, but it was time-consuming and not sure it made any difference. Did not add salt to the rice, skipped the Goya Sazon. Maqluba was delicious. The only flaw was the rice came out a bit crispy. Next time, I will soak longer or add more broth in the cooking stage.
Jen
Is there a substitute for the Goya seasoning? We aren't buying that brand.
Charmaine
I made this dish a couple of months ago using lamb shoulder cut up instead of chicken. It was divine and I will be making it again soon. It was worth all the effort of frying each vegetable separately. I left out the Goya seasoning because it has MSG in it so I don’t know what I was missing there. But the dish was perfect without it.
DrD
Turned out perfectly! Delicious! I used 8 skin-on thighs and I did a spice rub and browned them first, before putting them in the stockpot. I used the pan I browned them in to sauté the vegetables. I would use more carrots, 4 wasn’t enough. It turned out perfectly! I garnished it with cilantro and pomegranate seeds as well as the pine nuts to add some color to the presentation. Highly recommend.
Laura Zinn Fromm
Super delicious and labor intensive. The rice was so flavorful. The only issue was there was too much liquid at the end (we made it in a Dutch oven, maybe should have used a different pot), so we did not even try to flip it.
Ann
True, the recipe could be a bit more clear. I would encourage people to follow the recipe to the best of their understanding. Frying the veggies helps bring out their flavor and prevent them from being lost in a very flavorful rice.
DC Jason
I agree that this could recipe could use the kind touch of an editor to smooth out the janky instructions, and preface the entire thing with the marinade step rather than bury in step one.It turned out well, but a weeknight dinner it isn't and whereas I swore that I would never make again, I might go with a deconstructed version.
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