Ingredients
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2 large
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3 tbsp Ghee
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1 tbsp Baharat
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1 tsp Tumeric
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2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
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3 lbs Chickenvarious cuts
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1 Hot Green Chilliseeded and diced
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1 tbsp Ginger
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5 large cloves Garlicthinly sliced
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2 Large Tomatoesdiced or 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes drained
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2-3 Dried Limesalso known as Loomi
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5 Cardamom Pods
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1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
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1 Cinnamon Stick
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2 1/2 tsp Salt
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2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
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2 cups Basmati Rice
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3 tbsp Coriander
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2 tbsp Parsley
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Rosewater
Directions
We chose the national dish of Bahrain, Chicken Machboos, which is said to have similarities with Biryani and Kabsa. I knew my children would enjoy this one pot, hearty meal given their love of rice and chicken, all I had to do was find all the ingredients!
I found this recipe on the Daring Gourment website. It had two ingredients I had never come across before; loomi or dried limes and Baharat. I managed to order Baharat with my weekly shop, but the Loomi were proving rather harder to source. My friend, Tamie, who has spent some time in The Gulf, suggested drying limes out in a low oven overnight, but in the end I managed to source them around the corner in Deptford after a tip off from my nutritionist friend, Kate Knowler.
The yoghurt raita worked a treat with the Machboos, my little ones said the meal was delicious and could we have it again. I’ll take that as a thumbs up.
Steps
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1
Done
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Heat the oil in a large casserole pan over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces on both sides until the skin is brown and crispy. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the remaining oil in the casserole pan. |
|
2
Done
|
Add the ghee (or butter) reduce the heat to medium and fry the onions until starting to brown (about 10-12 minutes) |
|
3
Done
|
Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and saute for another 2 minutes |
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4
Done
|
Add the Baharat and turmeric and cook for another minute. |
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5
Done
|
Return the chicken pieces to the casserole pan along with the tomatoes, dried limes, cardamom pods, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. |
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6
Done
|
Add the coriander, parsley, and drained rice and stir to combine. Return to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, until the rice is done and has absorbed the liquid. |
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7
Done
|
Transfer the chicken and rice to a serving dish and sprinkle with 1-2 tbsp of rosewater. |
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8
Done
|
Serve with a green salad and yoghurt raita |
