Machboos Or Fooga Traditional United Arab Emirates Dish Recipes

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!

EMIRATI CHICKEN AND RICE (MACHBOOS OR FOGGA)

Steps:

• If using the oven method heat to 350°F.
• Rince chicken and remove skin.
• Rub with sea salt and bahrat.
• Gently fry in 1 1/2 tbs butter until browned on both sides.
• Transfer to a pot, add light olive oil, stock, crushed garlic, loomi, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves and tomato. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile fry slices of onion in remaining butter until soft and browned, remove from heat and add dark raisins to onions.
• Taste stock pot for salt.
• Rice white Basmati rice until the water runs clear.
• Remove chicken pieces from pot and add rice then set them on top of the rice with the onion/raisin mixture.
• Bring to a boil and then cover pot and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes.
• Once the liquid has been absorbed, arrange the 4 sheets of paper towel around the pot's rim and tightly cover. (This makes for fluffier rice). Also you may bake it in the oven until done from this point which I prefer as I find it cooks the rice more evenly in a greased pan.
• Remove from heat and leave to steam, unopened, for 15-20 minutes.
• Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot on a platter with lime wedges or halves and plain yogurt.