Maklube- Jordanian Chicken & Rice
Maklube - “upside down”. A Middle Eastern crown of chicken, cauliflower and rice with jewels of toasted nuts.
Many years ago, more than I would like to admit, while studying abroad in Israel and Jordan, our student group stayed for a month or so in a small hotel in East Jerusalem - the Palestinian sector. There we studied and ate our meals, my favorite of which was that pictured above. However, I just knew I liked it but never knew the name or how it was made. So it remained a fond culinary memory in my mind, of a dish I doubted I would ever encounter again.
Upon returning to live in Jordan for many years when my husband was assigned to the US Embassy, I had hopes that I might encounter this mystery dish again and while eating at a Jordanian's home, upon tasting sweet onion, cauliflower and chicken embedded in tender rice and festooned with a cornucopia of nuts, I discovered it again and almost shouted out loud, "This is it!" I quickly chummed up to the woman who had prepared it, discovered the name was Maklube, which means "upside down" in Arabic and convinced her to teach me and some friends how to prepare it. She obliged and thus ended my decades-long quest for what has been a personal and family favorite ever since.
This one-pot meal, once turned upside down to serve, should appear as a crown, bejeweled with toasted nuts, and vegetables and chicken layered in amongst the rice kernels. Well, the crown only happens occasionally but even if it doesn't the dish is still the crown of the meal.
On a more recent trip we took our group to dine at a restaurant where the chef prepared maklube and brought the pot out to each table when it was ready for the "reveal" and even his did have a bit of collaspsing on the side walls of his structure. While learning to make it again at the Petra Kitchen, a cooking experience in Petra, the bit of "haram" (shame), occurred again giving us all permission to have a bit of an "oopsy" with the "upside down". But occasionally, when it does stay intact congratulate yourself with a "Mabruk!" (congratulations) and eat an extra serving as a reward!
My original instructor told us that traditionally cauliflower most often appeared when chicken was the protein and that eggplant takes its place when the protein is beef or lamb. By now, that is old-school as most recipes use a combination of various vegetables not only to make the flavors more varied but also for color. That same instructor also demonstrated adding an entire cup of olive oil to the rice toward the end of the steaming. When I asked her why, she responded that was just the way they always did it. But I needed a better answer to bring myself to add the oil and I've noticed that most of the recipes you find today don't do that. But then there is something to be said for the Arab rice one is served there where every kernel seems to be coated with silky oil!
Chicken & Cauliflower maklube
1 whole chicken, cut in pieces
(or thighs & boneless breasts: 6 - 8 pieces total)
1 large slivered onion
1 ½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter, melted
½ cup pine nuts & ½ cup pistachios (shelled)
1/2 cup skinned whole almonds (or slivered)
1 large cauliflower, broken into 1 - 2 inch pieces
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled & sliced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 1/2 cups white rice (medium grain preferred)
oil for frying
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
-Rinse and soak rice for 30 minutes. Drain.
-Spread eggplant rounds on plate and sprinkle generously with salt. Allow to sit for 30 minutes then rinse salt from the eggplant. This draws out the natural bitterness of the eggplant. Set aside.
-Saute almonds & pistachios in melted butter until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon. Saute pine nuts until golden. Remove and set aside with other nuts.
-In a large pot, (dutch oven) fry small amounts of cauliflower and eggplant slices at a time in ½ inch oil until brown. Drain on paper towels. (Alternately, you can roast the cauliflower and eggplant by spreading out on a well-oiled cookie sheet and dousing liberally with olive oil. Salt vegetables and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until some edges of the cauliflower are golden. (Stir and turn vegetables over halfway through roasting.)
-In the large pot used to cook the cauliflower add a bit more oil and place chicken pieces and onion slices on bottom and sear over high heat, until chicken is browned on one side. Sprinkle on allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover pot and simmer over low heat with no added liquid. Remove chicken when tender, about 30 minutes and set aside.
-In another saucepan, pour 4 cups water. Add turmeric, chicken bouillon and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil.
-Sprinkle a handful of drained rice on the bottom of the pot that the chicken was cooked in. Layer the cauliflower, eggplant and red pepper slices then chicken and cover with drained rice. Pour turmeric water over rice. Water level should be a bit above the rice. Press mixture down solidly with the back of a heavy spoon.
-Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes over medium heat (until you can’t see the water). Place a heatproof plate, glass pie or cake pan over top of rice mixture in pan and press down to compact rice. Leaving the plate in place, turn heat to the lowest setting, cover with lid and let steam for 25 minutes more. Remove pot from heat and let rest, covered for 10 minutes.
-Remove lid and plate then invert pot with maklube onto large platter. There should by very little liquid. Leave pot in place 5-10 minutes then carefully remove. (Ideally, the rice and chicken mixture should stay upright, creating a crown! This rarely happens as the pile of rice tends to collapse on some sides, which is just fine, but when it does stay up, “MUMTAZ”! (excellent).)
-Garnish top generously with nuts and chopped parsley. Serve with yogurt sauce.
Fry cauliflower until brown in 1/2 inch hot oil
Sprinkle handful of rice on bottom of large pot.
Layer vegetables & chicken into pot.
Add rice and liquid, then place a heatproof plate on top pushing down solidly.
Chicken & Cauliflower dish with toasty, cruncy nuts.
A Crown of rice, chicken and cauliflower with fragrant Arab spices, and gems of nuts on top!
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Invert rice/chicken mixture onto serving plate and garnish
A "Crown" of delicious, tender rice, chicken & vegetables! Mumtaz!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:**Yogurt Sauce: Combine 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (not Greek) 3/4 cup finely chopped English cucumber, 1/3 cup finely minced fresh mint and parsley, 2 finely minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Let chill about 30 minutes. Serve as a condiment to meat dishes.
**Some people add a layer of sliced tomatoes on the bottom of the pot before adding the other vegetables.
