Maklouba is a traditional Middle Eastern Rice Dish that literally translates to Upside Down in arabic. It gets its name because of the way it’s made. You layer all the meat or chicken and vegetables in the pot with the rice and once it’s cooked it’s flipped upside down onto a platter.
As much as I despise this comparison, it just fit perfectly 😂. Maklouba is equivalent to your everyday casserole dish. Every family has a recipe for one they love. They all have a similar base, typically a protein, and then all those add ins that each family prefers.
No matter what arab household you go to, you’ll almost always see some form of maklouba, as well as some form of pronunciation to it. Whether they say maglouba or maalouba or maklouba, they all taste amazing. Some people add eggplants, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, or tomatoes. Some people make it with chicken. Some with beef, and some with lamb. Regardless, each family has some special touches that have typically been passed down through the generations.
I personally am very specific with my maklouba. I personally HATE frying but believe that fried veggies are what make or break your maklouba. I prefer it with chicken over lamb, and want the rice to hold its shape but still be mushy. I’m gonna give you an exact recipe and take out all the guesswork for you. You will have a perfect maklouba next time you make it, and I hope you keep this recipe to pass on to generations to come.
It’s typically served with fried almonds, yogurt, and a simple salad. Here’s a recipe to a simple salad recipe I like!
Authentic Maklouba
Maklouba is a classic middle eastern rice dish that translates to upside down. This dish is made with seasoned rice, fried eggplants and potatoes and bone in chicken. It’s served with yogurt and a simple salad.
Ingredients
3 Large Eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick discs
1 large potato peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick discs
2 onions
2 Chickens, cut into 4 pieces, skin on
4 cups Jasmine Rice
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Allspice
1/2 tbsp Ground Cardamom
1/3 tsp Ground Cloves
3/4 tsp Ground Turmeric
3/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
3/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Salt to taste
Frying Oil
Olive Oil
Instructions
Begin by cleaning your chicken and cooking it. I like to boil it. Start by placing 2 tbsp of olive oil into a large stock pot. Sear your chicken pieces in it with some whole spices. I use a couple bay leaves, some whole cloves, and cardamom. I also season with a little salt and pepper. Once the chicken is lightly seared, add enough water to cover the chicken fully. Keep in mind you’ll need about 9 cups to cook the rice. Bring the chicken to a boil, skim any foam and add a chopped onion. Cook until interior temp reaches 165 F.
Peel and chop your eggplants and place on a tray. Sprinkle with salt and set aside. The eggplants will release some water. Dry them off and fry until golden brown. Fry the potatoes and set aside.
Once the chicken is done cooking remove it from the broth. Remove the skin and set aside. Pour out all of the frying oil. Using the same frying pan add the chicken skin and the chopped onion. Cook until the skins are browned and the onion is charred. Add the chicken broth and boil for thirty minutes so the broth gets some color. Strain the broth and measure out 8.5 cups of it.
Taste the 8.5 cups of broth and salt to taste. You want it to be slightly saltier than you like your soup. Once you get it to your liking add the rest of the spices. Set aside.
In a large pot layer your potatoes, eggplant, chicken, and finally your rice.
Pour over the measured broth mixed in with the spices and bring the pot to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat to the lowest it will go and cook for 40 minutes COVERED. After its done cooking, turn off the heat and set the pot aside to rest for another 15 minutes.
Once you’re ready to enjoy, flip your maklouba and serve topped with fried almonds. Serve alongside yogurt and a simple arabic salad. Enjoy!
Amel
Easy to follow recipe! Came out tasting delicious!! Cooked a little too long but that was my fault! My mom even told me it tasted really good and she loves to critique!
Nur Ashour
Good job! It’ll be perfect next time.
Ebtesam Farha
Simple, and tasty! My go to favorite meal to cook when hosting a big dinner. Thanks for making this as simple as can be and absolutely delicious.
Nur Ashour
I’m so glad I was able to help you with that. I’m actually thinking of making it for dinner tonight!
Novelita Mogensen
I havebtried it during our trip to Israel it was very tasty.
Nur
There is nothing as good as Maklouba. Palestinians really did create perfection when making this dish. I’m glad you loved it.