Be it for a reason or for no reason at all, if you ever find yourself in the gulf of UAE, you should treat your mouth to this lavish nonveg dish called Al Machboos.
This is one of the best Arabic dishes you can try once you land in the UAE. If you are looking for a recipe or how to cook a guide, then the internet has led you to the right spot.
In this article, I will help you cook Al Machboo in very simple steps. If you are interested in a recipe as such, you need to follow this article.
What Are Al Machboos?
Al Machboos is a specific type of nonveg rice dish that uses meat as the key ingredient along with onions, rice, and several species for seasoning. For the nonveg part, you can use lamb, fish, or Chicken. The fish or the meat in the Dish is kept in large pieces.
Apart from the onion and tomatoes, there are other seasoning ingredients you need. There is a special Middle Eastern spice powder called Baharat. You need Baharat. Baharat is a mix of different spices like – Cumin, coriander, chili powder, Nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, Cardamom, etc. there are specific percentages for each of the spices used to make the blend of.
These spices are easily available in most Arabic shops. In addition to Baharat, another spice named Loomy is used for seasoning. Loomy is a basically dried black lemon used in most of the delicious cuisines made in Middle Eastern countries.
How Do You Cook Al Machboos?😋
The simple process of cooking all matchbooks requires a large pot. You need to cook the rice, meat, and dried lemon in boiling water until the food becomes tender.
You will need oil, and you can use both veg and nonveg oil, depending on your taste and preference. Olive oil, ghee, or veg oil are fine choices. The recipe originated in the UAE, and the entire cooking process takes 1:30 hours.
Now, if you are interested, allow me to tell you about the required ingredients and the steps to cook this delicious Arabic Dish.
What Ingredients Do You Need?
Here is a list of ingredients you need to make the Dish for four servings –
👉 1 kg Whole piece of Chicken cut into only 4 pieces.
👉 1.5 tbsps of Baharat spice.
👉 200-250 gms Chopped Onion
👉 250 gms Chopped Tomato
👉 40 gms Ginger paste
👉 40 gms (8 garlic cloves) Garlic. Make a paste of it.
👉 Few sprigs of Chopped Parsley ( as per requirement)
👉 Few sprigs of Chopped Cilantro ( as per requirement)
👉 2 tbsp of Ghee/1 tbsp Veg oil
👉 1/4 tablespoon Turmeric powder
👉 Salt according to salt
👉 1.5 cups Long Basmati Rice (washed & soaked for minimum 30 mins)
👉 3 1/3 cup Chicken Broth or water
👉 3 Green Cardamom
👉 2 inches of Cinnamon stick
👉 2 Loomi / black dried whole lemon
These are the main ingredients you need to cook al Machboos. But, if you are not from UAE, the Baharat spice may seem hard to come by. So why don’t you make it yourself? Here are the ingredients to make Baharat–
Ingredients To Make Baharat
⏩ 1 tablespoon of Black Peppercorns
⏩ 1 tablespoon of Cumin seeds
⏩ 2 tablespoons of Coriander seeds
⏩ 8 to 10 Cloves
⏩ 10-12 seeds of Green Cardamom
⏩ 1.5 tablespoons of Chili Powder/Kashmiri LAL Mirch powder.
⏩ People who don’t like chili can use Kashmiri or Degi Mirch powder
⏩ 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
⏩ 1/4 tsp Ground or grated Nutmeg
Steps To Make Al Machboos😋😋
Here are the steps to cook Macghboos at home –
Step 1:
For the first step, you need to clean and soak your basmati rice in water for at least 30 minutes. It is better to have them soaked for 1 hour.
Step 2:
Now for the second part, you need to marinate the Chicken using salt and lemon. Marinate it for 30 minutes.
Step 2:
Now take a frying pan and pour in the oil, and heat it. You have to add cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamoms, and cloves into the heated oil. Add the onions in after stirring them for a few seconds. Then, you need to add the ginger garlic paste. Make sure to saute it until the raw flavor goes away.
Step 3:
Now you have to add in the blended tomatoes followed by turmeric powder. You need to saute the mixture until oil separates from it. You should also prepare the Chicken by frying them and putting them aside.
Step 4:
For the next step, add in the soaked basmati rice, green chilies & dried lime. Make sure to mix it well and saute it for around 2 minutes.
Step 5:
Now you need to use a pressure cooker and add 1 ½ of water to it. Put the mixture within and pressure cook it until you hear two whistles. Once done, you need to put out the flame and let the Dish cool down.
Step 6:
Once cold, add some ghee into the Al Machboos and use a fork to fluff it up a bit. Now, you can arrange the Chicken on top of the rice and season it with fried onions and coriander leaves.
Frequently Asked Questions:-
Ans: As I said earlier, these dishes are popular in most Middle Eastern countries. Even in Dubai, Al Machboos is popular. The Dish is cooked in a large pot and comes with rich Chicken with spicy seasoning and Dried Lime to enhance the taste of the whole Dish.
Ans: Also named Kabsa, Al Machboos is a rice-based recipe and requires meat, Dried Lime, and Baharat spice for seasoning. Although this Dish originated from a Saudi Arabian kitchen, it is shared as a delicious dish across different Middle Eastern countries.
Ans: Machboos is the national Dish of Qatar. If you ever visit Qatar, you must try their national Dish that contains rice, meat, and other spices producing a smoky taste. This Dish is very similar to the Saudi Arabian Al Machboos.
Ans: Middle Eastern countries are rich in delicious cuisines. Al Machboos are one of them. But are they the same as Kabsa? Kabsa is a rice dish made using rice and meat (lamb or chicken). It is a popular dish in the gulf areas of the UAE.
In Arabic, both the words.
Machboos and Kabsa mean pressed. The taste and the recipe slightly vary from region to region, but they are usually the same.
Final Touch
Al Machboos tastes the best when you have the Baharat spice for the seasoning. It is a little hard to get by, but you can make it using the ingredient list given here. I hope you can make the best Al Machboos after reading this recipe. If you have any queries, you can comment below.
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