Chicken Kabsa

Method

1. Put the rice in a bowl, rinse it in cold water 4–5 times until the water runs almost clear, then cover with fresh water and soak for 20 min; soaked rice cooks into long, separate grains. Meanwhile finely chop the onion and garlic, dice the tomato and coarsely grate the carrot.

2. Heat most of the oil in a heavy 24 cm pot with a tight-fitting lid on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7 min, stirring now and then, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic for the last minute, just until fragrant; burnt garlic turns bitter.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1.6 tbspOnion 1Garlic cloves 3

   medium heat

3. Add the chicken pieces skin side down, then the spice mix, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. Pierce each dried lime 2–3 times with the tip of a knife so the flavour can escape, and add them too. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and cook for 6 min, turning the chicken, until it is coated in spice and no longer pink on the outside.

   Add in this stepBone-in chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks) 600 gKabsa spice mix or baharat 1½ tspGround turmeric ½ tspGreen cardamom pods 3Whole cloves 3Cinnamon stick 1Bay leaves 1Dried limes (loomi) 1

   medium-high heat

4. Lower the heat to medium heat, add the tomato, tomato paste and carrot and cook for 3 min, stirring, until the tomato softens and the paste darkens slightly.

   Add in this stepTomatoes 1Tomato paste 1 tbspCarrot, coarsely grated 70 g

   medium heat

5. Pour in the water, add the salt and bring to a boil on high heat. Skim off any grey foam, then cover, turn down to low heat and simmer for 35 min. The chicken is done when the meat pulls easily from the bone and the juices run clear (75 °C at the thickest part next to the bone).

   Add in this stepWater 850 mlSalt 1¼ tsp

   high heat→low heat

6. Lift the chicken onto an oven tray. Measure 280 ml of the broth and pour it back into the pot (top up with hot water if short; the whole spices can stay in or be fished out). Taste it: it should be a little saltier than soup. Drain the rice, add it, stir once and boil uncovered on high heat for 6 min, until the liquid drops below the surface of the rice and small holes appear. Cover tightly, turn to low heat and cook for 15 min without lifting the lid.

   Add in this stepBasmati rice 180 g

   high heat→low heat

7. While the rice cooks, put the chicken on the top shelf of the oven, preheated to 220 °C, for 10 min, until the skin is browned and slightly crisp.

   oven

8. Heat the rest of the oil in a small pan on medium-low heat, add the almonds and stir for 3 min until golden, adding the raisins for the last 30 seconds, just until they puff up. Turn off the heat under the rice, let it rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork, pile it onto a large platter, set the chicken on top and scatter over the almonds and raisins.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 0.4 tbspFlaked almonds 15 gRaisins 15 g

   medium-low heat