Machboos Deai Food

TRADITIONAL BAHRAINI CHICKEN MACHBOOS / MACHBOUS

Steps:

• Cut the chicken in half. Heat the water and leave aside. In a small bowl, mix the buharat, turmeric, cumin, and cardamom together and add to the mixture one teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture on the chicken halves.
• Heat oil in a large cooking pan, fry the onions until golden brown, then add to the pepper and the black limes - you MUST make a hole in each limes.
• Add the chicken to the onion mixture and turn it over a few times in the pan. Sprinkle on the chicken a teaspoon of cinnamon and the rest of the mixed spices. Turn the contents all together so the chicken is coated with the spices, cover the pan and let it cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic, chopped ginger, and tomato cubes to the pan and turn the ingredients in the pan a few times. Cover again for 3 minutes on medium heat. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pour on it water while its still hot.
• Cover the pan and let it cook for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked. Add the copped coriander 5 minutes before you remove the chicken from the stock in the pan. While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice well and soak for 10 minutes in cold water, then drain.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and put on an oven tray, brush with some oil and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon powder and grill in the oven until the chicken is golden brown.
• Add the rice to the chicken stock, stir, then let it cook on low heat until the rice absorbs the stock and is almost done.
• Sprinkle rose water and lemon juice over the rice and place the butter pieces on the top. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
• Serve the rice on a large serving plate and place the grilled chicken halves on the top.

MACHBOOS DE'AI

Steps:

• Take all the stuff in the list from the cinnamon stick all the way down to the crushed garlic and put them in a pot or pressure cooker. Add the chickens and fill with enough water to cover them by and inch. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt (of to taste; if your tasting the salt in the water you'll want to add the chickens last). You'll be saving the liquid for making the rice later. Boil for one hour in a regular pot, or 35 minutes in a pressure cooker.
• While the chicken is boiling, clean the rice and fry it in olive oil until some of the grains look white. Set aside. Steep the saffron in 1/4 cup (or a little less) hot water.
• When the chicken is done boiling, remove the chicken carefully (you don't want them to break apart). Set aside to drip. You can strain the broth and discard the pieces in it, or you can keep the broth as-is. I usually strain it because my husband doesn't want to remove whole spices from his food.
• Put the rice in the pot, and cover up to your first knuckle (from the tip of your finger). You might need to add water or use less, depending on your elevation and humidity and all that. Now is also a good time to check the saltiness, and add if needed (if you made it too salty, the only way to save the dish is remove some of the liquid and replace it with some plain hot water). Bring the rice to a boil, then bring down to a simmer until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. In the meantime, go back to the chicken.
• Rub the chickens with oil and then dust them with garlic, cinnamon and turmeric. When the rice is done cooking, plate it in a large dish. Quickly pan-fry the chicken in olive oil, and arrange with the rice. You can garnish with chopped cilantro, mint and parsley. Wrap in foil and put in warm oven to keep warm until serving. Eat with daqoos and whatever other sauces you feel like.

MACHBOOS OR FOOGA (TRADITIONAL UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DISH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bring water to boiling and add chicken bouillon cubes, lower heat and add dried limes and saffron and let simmer till bouillon is dissolved --keep it hot.
• Sprinkle chicken with half the spices (except the garlic).
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on med-high to high heat and fry the chicken till both sides are brown, lower heat to medium and remove the chicken to a plate.
• In that same skillet sauté the onions for 2 minutes, add tomatoes, garlic and remaining spices and sauté another 2 minutes, then turn off the burner.
• Add the rice and stir for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, till well coated.
• Spread rice in the baking dish and place the chicken pieces over the rice.
• Gently press the dried limes on the sides of the pot to distribute flavor in the broth and then poor on the rice and chicken (the whole thing including the dried limes) and cover tightly with foil.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes--do not open the foil cover at all until the time is up.
• If you want to eat this the authentic way, you can lay newspaper on the floor (for easy cleanup of spills), put all of this on a very large platter or on a couple large sheets of aluminum foil laid on the newspaper and everyone sits around and eats with their right hand!