The Traditional Saudi Kabssah Food

AL KABSA - TRADITIONAL SAUDI RICE (& CHICKEN) DISH

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large stock pot, casserole or dutch oven. Add chicken pieces, onion & garlic & sauté until onion is tender. Stir in tomato puree & simmer over a low heat for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomatoes, carrots, cloves, all the spices & salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the water & Maggi cube.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add rice to the pot & stir carefully. (if you're wanting to brown the chicken in the oven - remove it from the pot now & place in the preheated oven).
• Re-Cover & simmer for 35 - 40 minutes - adding the raisins for the last 10 minutes - or until rice is tender.
• Place the rice on a large serving dish, topped with the chicken & garnished with almonds. Serve with a fresh mixed salad - preferably with a little lime vinaigrette. Saudis like their Kabsa with a hot sauce called 'Shattah'.
• N.B: You can also 'finish' the chicken pieces off in the oven by cooking them for 25 - 30 minutes at 180 C whilst the rice is cooking. (but don't let them become dry).

KABSA

Steps:

• Place chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts into a large pan and pour in 6 cups water; stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chopped onion, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken, strain the broth, and retain 4 cups of broth.
• While chicken is simmering, rinse basmati rice thoroughly until water runs clear. Place into a bowl and mix in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cardamom pods, whole cloves, nutmeg, baharat spice mix, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and black pepper. Let the rice sit while you complete remaining steps.
• Soak golden raisins with 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan. Cook and stir 2 cups onion with tomatoes until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in the seasoned rice and cook until rice grains are hot, 2 to 3 minutes; pour in reserved 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Mix in soaked golden raisins. Place 3 tablespoons butter into the pan, let melt, and turn heat to low; simmer covered until rice is tender, about 45 minutes.
• Tear chicken meat off the bones into bite-size pieces. Spread the rice onto a large serving platter and distribute cooked chicken over the rice to serve.

AL KABSA - TRADITIONAL SAUDI RICE AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix together the saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, white pepper, and lime powder in a small bowl, and set the spice mix aside.
• Melt the butter in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and brown them over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Mix in the tomato puree.
• Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the grated carrots, whole cloves, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, and the Kabsa spice mix. Cook for about 3 minutes; pour in the water, and add the chicken bouillon cube.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes.
• Gently stir in the rice. Cover the pot and simmer until rice is tender and almost dry, about 25 minutes; add the raisins and a little more hot water, if necessary. Cover and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice grains are separate.
• Transfer the rice to a large serving platter and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the toasted slivered almonds over the dish.

CHICKEN KABSA RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
• Place chicken pieces in a bowl, using your hands rub chicken with vegetable oil until well covered. Place on a try and bake for 30 minutes.
• Mix all spices and salt in a small bowl.
• Rinse the rice in a sieve with running water until water runs clear.
• Meanwhile melt butter in a pan, saute onions, and garlic until translucent and soft. Add diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Create sauce.
• Add the chicken and stir until well coated with the tomato sauce.
• Add rice and spices. Mix well.
• Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover loosely, leaving a gap for steam to escape.
• Cook for roughly 20 minutes until you have cooked the rice.
• Toast slivered almonds in a pan over medium high heat until browned.
• Spoon rice onto a serving dish placing the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle with browned almonds, raisins, and a pinch of black pepper.
• Add more salt and pepper to taste.

AL KABSA - TRADITIONAL SAUDI RICE (& MEAT) DISH

Steps:

• Fry meat until browned on all sides. Add enough water to the pot so that it covers the meat by 1.5"-2", bring to a boil then cook gently over medium heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until tender. Reserve stock & set meat aside.
• Soak rice for 15 minutes. Drain, rise under running water then drain well.
• Add butter to a large stock pot or casserole, fry the onion, pepper, carrot & spices. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
• Add rice to vegetables in the pot, cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add meat stock until stock covers rice (approx 1.5" above rice). Cover pot. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until tender - add a little more stock or water if rice seems to become dry.
• Sauce:.
• Fry onion, garlic and tomato in the butter. Add tomato paste, celery, salt, cinnamon, water & stock cube. Cook on medium heat until slightly thickened and celery is tender.
• Serve in a large dish or on a platter. Place the rice first, top with meat & garnish with pine nuts. Serve the sauce in a jug with a spoon. Saudies enjoy kabsa with a hot sauce called 'shattah' -- .

THE TRADITIONAL SAUDI KABSSAH

Steps:

• Put the onions in a medium size pot, drizzle on the olive oil and cook at medium high heat until the onions are yellowish and starting to brown. Then put the garlic, cook for a few seconds then put in the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and the spice mix; cook it until it becomes a thick red sauce and the tomatoes are almost melted.
• Put in the chicken halves. Sauté it with the sauce for a few minutes, then poor in some hot water just a little bit over the chicken and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium low and let it cook for 40-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
• While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice and soak it in cold water for 30 minutes.
• Take the chicken out and put it in a roasting pan. Put in the oven and broil it until it's golden.
• Drain the rice from water and put it into the chicken broth. Make sure there isn't a lot of water in the pot.
• Cook it on medium high heat. Let it boil until it is almost dry, but not too dry. Make sure there is a little bit of broth left in the bottom of the pot.
• Lower the heat to very low, cover well and cook for 10 minutes.
• Now all you have to do is uncover, put the rice in a big serving plate, top with the chicken and serve with a yogurt salad or a green salad--enjoy a great Saudi meal.
• I really hope you like it . :).