Description
This was the first Arabic dish I ever made and it turned out extremely delicious, a new favorite! Serve Al Kabsa with a fresh mixed cucumber, carrot, lettuce, and tomato salad — preferably with a little lime vinaigrette. Some fresh pita bread on the side would be nice also. Saudis like their Kabsa with a hot sauce called ‘Shattah’. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon saffron
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried whole lime powder
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- ¼ cup tomato puree
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3 carrots, peeled and grated
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- 1 pinch ground coriander
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 ¼ cups hot water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 2 ¼ cups unrinsed basmati rice
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
- Make spice mix: Stir together saffron
- cinnamon
- allspice
- lime powder
- cardamom
- and white pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
- Make dish: Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in butter until onion has softened and turned translucent
- about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat
- stirring occasionally
- until lightly browned
- about 10 minutes. Mix in tomato purée.
- Stir in canned tomatoes with juice
- carrots
- cloves
- nutmeg
- cumin
- coriander
- salt
- black pepper
- and reserved spice mix. Cook for about 3 minutes; pour in water and add chicken bouillon cube.
- Bring sauce to a boil
- then reduce heat
- and cover the pot. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear
- about 30 minutes.
- Gently stir in rice. Cover the pot and simmer until rice is tender and almost dry
- about 25 minutes; add raisins and a little more hot water
- if necessary. Cover and cook until rice grains separate
- 5 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer rice to a large serving platter and arrange chicken on top. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 8