About this recipe
Maqluba is a communal dish built for drama. Layering matters: the aubergines go in first so they end up on top after the flip, and the rice must be soaked so it cooks evenly under the weight. Let it rest fully before you turn it out or it will slump.
Ingredients
- 900 g chicken thighsbone-in, skin removed
- 300 g greek yoghurtto serve
- 4 tsp fine sea salt
- 40 g flaked almondstoasted, to serve
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground allspice
- 6 whole green cardamom pods
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 2 whole cinnamon stick
- 2 whole onionsone quartered, one sliced
- 200 ml sunflower oilfor frying
- 0.5 whole cauliflowerbroken into florets
- 2 whole auberginescut into 1cm rounds
- 450 g basmati ricesoaked in warm water for 30 minutes, then drained
Method
- 1
Put the chicken in a pot with the quartered onion, one cinnamon stick, the bay leaves, cardamom pods, 2 tsp of the salt and 1.2 litres of water. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- 2
Lift the chicken out and strain the broth. Measure 750ml and keep it hot. Discard the whole spices.
- 3
Meanwhile, salt the aubergine rounds and leave 20 minutes, then pat dry. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pan and fry the aubergines in batches for 3 minutes per side until deep golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
Do not skip drying the aubergine. Wet slices absorb far more oil and will make the finished maqluba greasy.
- 4
Fry the cauliflower florets in the same oil for 4 minutes until browned at the edges, and drain.
- 5
Pour off all but 2 tbsp of oil from a wide, heavy, straight-sided pot. Cook the sliced onion in it for 8 minutes, then stir in the allspice, turmeric, black pepper and remaining salt.
- 6
Turn off the heat. Arrange the fried aubergine rounds over the base and up the sides of the pot in an overlapping layer. This will become the top when you flip it.