Ma Aloubeh Recipes

MAKLOUBEH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 C (220C). Add the cauliflower florets and potato slices to one baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out. Add the eggplant slices to another baking sheet lined with parchment paper, in a single layer. Drizzle both trays of vegetables with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place both trays in the oven at the same time.
• Roast for around 30 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and cooked through. they'll probably need around 30 minutes. You can flip the potato slices around halfway through, but it's not necessary. Once vegetables have roasted, remove from the oven and set aside until it's time for assembling.
• Add the oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the meat pieces and cook, stirring until browned on each side. Add the onion and garlic, the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
• Add enough water to the pot to cover the meat completely. I used 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then skim off any foam that accumulates on the surface and discard it.
• Cover the pot, reduce heat to a medium low simmer, and cook for 40-45 minutes or until lamb pieces are cooked through and tender. Alternately, you could cook the meat in an pressure cooker or instant pot according to your preference.
• Once the meat is cooked, pour the stock over a strainer, catching the stock in a bowl. Discard the whole spices, and keep the meat pieces aside.
• To the strained stock, stir in the seven spices or all spice, salt, black pepper, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Taste it, it should taste pretty salty. Set stock aside.
• In a large clean saucepan (you can clean the one you used to make the stock), drizzle the oil to coat the bottom. Layer the tomato slices on the bottom, this will help keep the rice from sticking.
• Arrange the eggplant slices evenly around the pan, coming up the sides of the pan if you can so that they'll sort of end up wrapping the rice mixture (see video below for clarification).
• Sprinkle the eggplants with salt, and add all the meat cubes to the pan. Add the chickpeas on top of the meat. Add half the rice and spread it out evenly. Add the cooked potato slices and half the cauliflower florets. Season these vegetables with a sprinkle of salt.
• Add the second half of the rice on top of the vegetables, and pat with the pack of a wooden spoon to firmly press it into the pan.
• Pour the meat stock over the rice. It should cover the top of the rice by about 1/2 inch. If you need to, add a little water in order to submerge the rice, maybe 1/2 cup or so. Place the pot of rice on medium high heat until the water in it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes or so, then tightly cover (if your lid doesn't fit tightly, you can place a kitchen towel under the lid before covering).
• Reduce heat to low, and cook for 50-55 minutes, until all the broth has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy. Remove from heat and let the pot stand for 5-10 minutes.
• After the rice has rested, remove the lid and place a serving platter or tray on top of the pot. Flip the pot upside down, but don't lift the pot up for a few minutes to give the rice time to drop. After a few minutes pass, slowly use the pot handles to lift and remove the pot.
• Garnish your makloubeh with plenty of toasted nuts and parsley. Enjoy immediately! We like this with yogurt and/or a simple green salad.

MAKLOUBEH - CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Saute onion and meat together in butter.
• Add salt and spices. Add broth or water and cover. Let meat simmer over moderate heat until tender.
• Break cauliflower into medium size florets. Sprinkle with salt. Fry in deep, hot oil until dark brown, the darker the better. When it looks almost burnt to me, I know its right. Drain on paper towels.
• Add cauliflower on top of meat. Add uncooked rice on top of cauliflower. Make sure that all are covered by broth. Add more if necessary to cover.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until rice is tender and broth/water is absorbed.
• Traditionally, this dish is allowed to cool for 30 minutes and then the pot is turned upside down in a large platter. It is then garnished with pine nuts and served with plain yogurt. I just dish it from the pot because my family can't wait 30 minutes now that the whole house smells so yummy.

MAKLOUBEH

Steps:

• Fry eggplant till golden brown in a frying pan with veggie oil, set aside.
• Fry chicken on high heat in a large pot in olive oil until brown on all sides and add salt, pepper, and Arabic spice(all spice,7 spice same thing). Just add by your eye no certain amount matters.
• Remove chicken from pot and add the slices onions, fry in the oil (same pot and same oil used for the chicken) until soft about 4 minutes and add chicken back in the pot.
• Fry all together for another 3 or 4 minutes and then add water, about a little more then half the pot.
• Keep the heat on max and add the chicken stock, the turmeric, about 1/2 teaspoon more of the allspice for more flavor and salt, add enough salt to taste, keep adding and tasting until you have the right flavour, then add the bay leaf and the cardamom pods.
• Cover and let it come to a boil then turn down to 6 or to medium for about 40 minutes.
• When it done drain the stock in other bowl or pot and put the chicken on a plate.
• Wash the rice and drain; do not soak.
• Add the chicken to the bottom of the same pot you used (no need to wash it), then add some rice over the chicken.
• Add half the eggplant over the rice (layering).
• Then add some more rice on top of the eggplant (layering).
• Add the rest of the eggplant and layer on the rest of the rice, push down on the food to make it all even and smooth.
• Now add the stock.
• Add the stock and use your pointing finger to know how much stock to put. When you dip your finger in the makloubeh and the tip of your finger touches the rice and the water to the first line on your finger, it is enough stock. We have three lines on our finger--the first line is telling you it's enough stock.
• Then cover and bring to a boil for about 6 to 8 minute.
• Then turn it to the lowest mark MIN until its ready, about 30 min to 40 minutes. Check with fork to see if rice is ready.
• When done, bring a large round serving dish. Put the dish on top of the pot and flip it over. Remove pot and add some toasted nuts (almonds, pine nut if you want).

MAKLOUBEH RECIPE- PALESTINIAN RICE WITH LAMB

Steps:

• Once the rice with lamb is cooked, allow to cool a little bit, then flip Makloubeh like a cake using a larger plate than the mouth of the pan.
• Sprinkle with the toasted almonds & chopped parsley.
• Serve with yogurt cucumber salad.

MA'ALOUBEH

Steps:

• Boil the chicken and reserve the broth.
• Fry the slices of eggplants until golden and set aside.
• Fry the nuts in the ghee and set aside.
• Soak and rinse the rice and place in a bowl.
• Add the spices and salt to the rice.
• In a pot place slices of tomatoes and eggplant at the bottom until covered.
• Put about 1 cup of the rice over the eggplant and tomatoes.
• Place a few pieces of chicken over the rice.
• Put another layer of eggplants & tomatoes over the chicken.
• Put about another cup of rice over the eggplants & tomatoes .
• Put the rest of the chicken over that.
• Put the rest of the rice over the chicken.
• Place the rest of the eggplants & tomatoes over the rice.
• Pour the chicken broth over the layers of rice, chicken and vegetables.
• Place an inverted plate over the final layer and push it down a little.
• Cook for about 3/4 - 1 hr on med to low heat.
• When done remove the dish and invert the pot over a very large dish and garnish with the fried nuts.
• To be served with a salad or yoghurt.

MAKLOUBEH

Steps:

• Wash the rice under running water. Rinse it well and leave aside to drain.
• Chop the onion very finely and peel and slice the aubergine lengthways.
• Heat half of the oil gently in a lidded saucepan. Add the chopped onion, mix well and reduce the heat. Cover the pan with the lid and allow to cook about 3 minutes.
• Mix the onion well, and add the minced beef.
• Using a fork, break it up in the pan, increasing the heat for a few minutes.Cover the pan once more and allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
• In another pan, heat the remainder of the oil. Add the sliced aubergines, and fry them until golden on both sides.
• Remove the fried aubergine with a fork and drain very well on kitchen paper. This is a very important step to avoid the aubergine being excessively oily.
• Mix the spices and salt with just under two litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Place half of the cooked minced beef mixture in the bottom of a large greased ovenproof dish. Cover this with half of the fried aubergine slices & sprinkle with half of the rice. Repeat these layers finishing with rice. Pour spice mixture over casserole. Place in the centre of oven 325F & bake for 1 hour or until rice is tender. Heat the melted butter and fry the nuts until golden. Remove the cooked dish from the oven, turn it out on to a serving dish and garnish with the fried nuts and pour over the melted butter.
• Enjoy!