Hi all! Thank you to everyone who tuned into our Culture Kitchen event for the month of June, featuring a recipe from Jordan. Our guest chef Omar walked us through how to cook Maqluba, or صحة وعافية in Arabic. Maqluba translates into English as “upside down,” which is one of the defining characteristics of this dish. The ingredients and recipe can be found below.
The dish consists of meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down when served. This dish is very important and cooked in many family gatherings in Jordan. Sometimes people can cook it with chicken, meat, or even just vegetables and rice depending on preference.
Ingredients
Main Dish
1 head Cauliflower
1 Yellow Onion
2 Large potatoes or 3-Medium potatoes
2 eggplants
1 small bag of white rice preferably long grain
1 chicken breast per person
1 48 oz bottle of Canola Oil
1 Small bottle of chicken broth
Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
All Spice
Dried mint
Cumin
Bay Leaves
Knot Cube Bouillon Chicken Cube
Side Salad
1-2 cucumbers
Whole milk yogurt
1 pick of a garlic clove
Steps
First wash the white rice and let it sit in warm water.
Then wash the chicken breast, sear it, and add it to a pot of water. Let it boil with the bay leaves and a small cinnamon stick (optional) for 12 -18 minutes.
After cutting all the vegetables up, including the potatoes into cubes, the cauliflower into smaller stems and eggplant just across the entire way into circles.
Heat up the oil and fry all the vegetables. Let them sit on a rack to drain excess oil.
Fry the boiled chicken breast until golden.
Once all the above steps are complete you can start layering all the items above, starting with the chicken, then the vegetables; first goes the eggplant, then the potatoes, and then the cauliflower.
Mix all the required seasonings in a cup with a small amount of warm water, usually for every cup of white rice use 1 teaspoon of allspice, cumin, pepper, and half a cube of Knorr Cube Bouillon Chicken Cube. For the salt, it depends on the quantity of vegetables, rice, and personal preference.
Finally, follow the directions on the rice packet for adding water, then add an extra half cup for the vegetables and chicken.
Bring to boil then cover and let it simmer until the rice is fully cooked.
Finally, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Flip your pot onto a flat serving tray/pizza tray/flat plate to enjoy the dish. The best way to do this is to lay the flat surface on top of the pot, and then grab the handles of the pot and flat surface to flip in one smooth motion. It should be served upside down as referring to the name of the dish.
For the salad, cut the cucumber into small cubes, then mix the yogurt, cucumber, a little bit of garlic (or to taste), 1 tablespoon of lemon, a splash of salt and dried mint leaves and mix everything together. The ratio of yogurt to cucumbers should be 2:1.
Enjoy! Or for the equivalent of Bon appétit in Arabic: شهية طيبة