Makloubeh
Palestinian Upside Down Rice
Contributed by Aya Mustafa
Behind the Dish
Makloubeh, meaning “upside down,” is a popular Palestinian dish which is flipped upside down right before serving to make for a dramatic entrée. Makloubeh is often made for guests and, as Aya observes, “Guests love it. They might be thinking to themselves before a gathering, “maybe they’re going to make Makloubeh!”
For people like Aya’s mother, who would rather spend time reading than cooking, Makloubeh doesn’t require a lot of time to prepare. It can be made for large or small gatherings and the details of preparation are not complicated. In the following recipe Aya has converted her mother’s intuitive renderings of Makloubeh, into measurable amounts.
Makloubeh is commonly served with a yogurt and cucumber salad and a crunchy vegetable salad.
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
Meat or Chicken broth:
4 lamb loin chops or 4 chicken breasts
¾ onion, quartered
5 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon lemon and pepper
½ teaspoon salt
3 bay leaves
Water to cover
Frying Vegetables:
1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 potato, sliced 1/4 inch
½ head of cauliflower, with florets separated
1 cup vegetable oil
Salt, to sprinkle on eggplant slices
Rice:
1 1/3 cups of long grain rice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon lemon and pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Final Pot Preparation:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ onion
Garnish:
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
A few leaves of parsley
Instructions
Saute onions in olive oil, add lamb or chicken and when browned add spices.
Add water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered, for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Turn off heat.
Soak rice in water in a medium bowl.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and pan fry the potatoes for 3 minutes or until browned on each side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the cauliflower and then eggplant slices. Reserve the oil in the pan for toasting almonds.
Place the garlic and onions in a large pot under high heat until an aroma is released. Lower the heat. Add the lamb or chicken that had been browned (see Step 1) to the pot while reserving the liquid. Evenly distribute the potatoes, eggplant slices, and cauliflower in the pot.
Drain the water from the rice. Mix in the spices with the rice. Then put this rice mixture over the lamb or chicken and vegetables. Cover with the broth from Step 1 and put the lid on the pot. Raise the heat until it comes to a boil. Before turning the heat down to a simmer, cover the mouth of the pot with plastic wrap and place the lid on top of this plastic. Then, simmer over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes. Do not stir.
Toast almonds in the pan that was used for frying the vegetables.
Once the rice/lamb or chicken mixture is cooked, remove the lid and the plastic wrap. Place an upturned plate larger than the mouth of your pot on top of the pot and carefully turn everything over to slip the Makloubeh onto the plate.
Garnish with the parsley and toasted almonds.