Saudi Chicken Kabsa (spiced rice with chicken)

Gulf70 minServes 5

It is told that kabsa was the queen of the table in the homes of Najd, cooked in one large pot that held the rice, chicken and spices, and when its aroma spread everyone knew lunch was ready. Grandmothers used to say: kabsa is never eaten alone, it is the dish of the family gathering and of the guest. Ever since, the big tray has been placed in the middle of the majlis, with hands reaching toward it from every side.

Ingredients for Saudi Chicken Kabsa

• 1 whole chicken cut into quarters (about 1.2 kg)
• 3 cups basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, grated
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 hot green chilli (optional)
• 2 loomi (dried limes), pierced
• 2 tbsp kabsa spice mix
• 4 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups hot water
• salt to taste
• ¼ cup oil or ghee
• to garnish: raisins and fried almonds

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the onions until golden, then add the garlic and green chilli.
2. Add the chicken pieces and stir until they change colour.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, kabsa spices, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, loomi and salt, and stir for 2 minutes.
4. Add the hot water, cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
5. Remove the chicken, place it on a tray and put it in the oven for 10 minutes to brown on top.
6. Add the drained rice to the broth (the broth should be about 1 cm above the rice) and let it boil until it absorbs half of the water.
7. Reduce the heat to very low and cover the pot tightly for 25 minutes until the rice is cooked.
8. Pour the rice onto a serving platter, put the chicken on top, garnish with raisins and fried almonds, and serve with salad and daqoos (tomato-chilli sauce).

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