Kabsa {Chicken and Rice}
Kabsa is a chicken and rice main course dish that is popular not just in
Saudi Arabia but across the Arab world.
Ingredients
1 chicken with skin, cut into 4-8 pieces.
3 cups rice
2 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes blended with skin
1 tsp of tomato paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 grated medium sized carrot
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder(or to taste)
half a lemon cut in thick slices
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cardamom pods
5 cloves
handful of raisins (for garnishing)
handful of pine nuts (for garnishing)
handful of almond (for garnishing)
a cup of oil
4 cups of water (+additional)
Instructions
You will need to use a large pot that can accommodate the chicken pieces
well.
Start by heating the oil in the pan. Add the whole spices (cinnamon,
cardamom, black pepper and cloves) and let them splutter before
you add the onions.
Fry the onions on medium high till they are golden.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry a little before you add the
tomatoes, tomato paste and the powdered spices. Keep stirring and
fry till the tomatoes are all mushy and the oil starts to separate.
Add the chicken pieces and some salt.
Saute the chicken on high heat till the oil separates again.
Add 4 cups of water and reduce heat when it starts to simmer.
Reduce heat and let this cook till the chicken pieces are tender.
Usually it takes about 15-20 minutes on medium low heat.
Wash and soak the rice while the chicken cooks.
Once the chicken is done, with a slotted spoon remove the chicken
pieces on to a dish and cover with foil.
Measure the broth. For every cup of rice that you are using, you will
need one and a half cup of water. If the broth is not enough then you
can add some water to make it equal to what you need.
Start the heat again. Add the grated carrots and sliced lemon to the
broth.
When the water starts to boil, add the drained rice to it. Check and
adjust the salt.
Let it cook on medium high till the water reduces and it becomes
difficult to stir. If you want the chicken in the rice then now is the
time to add them.
Remove the skin first and then drop them in to the rice and stir it.
Close the lid tighly, reduce the heat to the lowest and let it steam for
15-20 minutes.
If you are not adding the chicken to the rice but would like it grilled
or fried then you can proceed to steaming without the chicken.
To grill the chicken, just brush it will oil and place it in the oven for 5- 10
minutes. You can fry it hot oil too to get a golden crispy texture to it too.
Once the rice is cooked, slowly tilt the lid slightly to let the steam escape.
(Be careful the steam will escape fast!)
You can fry the raisins and pine nuts in a little butter and oil in the
meanwhile and pour this on the rice for garnishing. After the steam
escapes, serve the rice with the chicken.
Notes
Please Note: The chicken will be cooked with the skin on to keep it moist.
You can removed the skin before steaming with the rice. If you choose to
grill or fry the chicken pieces then the skin helps give it a crispy outer
layer.
You can wash and make slits in the chicken before hand. Rub in a little
salt and garlic-ginger paste too. This helps the chicken absorb the juices
well.
THANKS FOR READING ENJOY THE DISH👌👌👌
