Kabsa
Saudi Arabia's national dish: long-grain rice cooked in spiced tomato stock with chicken or lamb, scented with dried lime, cardamom and cinnamon.
Overview
Saudi Arabia's national dish, the one platter you'll meet at almost every gathering from family lunch through wedding banquet. You brown chicken pieces or lamb shoulder hard in a heavy pot, then build a base of onion, garlic and ginger softened in the same fat, with tomato and a spoonful of baharat (or a dedicated kabsa spice mix) blooming until the kitchen fills with cardamom and cinnamon. The protein simmers in tomato and stock until it's tender and pulling away from the bone, then long-grain rice goes in to cook absorption-style in the same liquid, drinking up every layer of flavour the broth carries. You finish with almonds toasted in butter, raisins plumped briefly, and a fresh salsa of tomato, onion, chilli and parsley spooned on the side to cut the richness. Eaten communally from the centre platter, with hands or a long spoon.
Ingredients
Protein
- 1.2 kg chicken pieces (bone-in thighs and drumsticks; or lamb shoulder cubed)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
Stock base
- 2 onions (large, chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 cm ginger (grated)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tomatoes (medium, chopped) or 1 x 400 g tin
- 2 dried limes (loomi; pierced)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cardamom pods (bashed)
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon kabsa spice mix (or baharat)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1.2 litres hot water
Rice
- 600 g basmati rice (rinsed, soaked 30 min)
Topping
- 50 g flaked almonds
- 30 g pine nuts
- 50 g raisins (soaked 10 min)
- 30 g unsalted butter
Daqqus (salsa) - to serve
- 4 tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 onion (small, finely chopped)
- 2 long green chillies (or jalapeños; chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 lemon (juice)
- A small bunch coriander (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
Stage 1 - Brown the chicken
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.
- Salt the chicken; brown 4-5 minutes per side; lift out.
Stage 2 - Build the stock
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook the onions in the rendered fat 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, dried limes, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay, spice mix and turmeric.
- Cook 4-5 minutes - the mixture should darken.
- Pour in the hot water; return the chicken.
Stage 3 - Simmer
- Bring to the boil; reduce to a steady simmer.
- Cover loosely; cook 30 minutes until the chicken is tender.
- Lift the chicken out; place on a tray; brush with a little oil and place under a hot grill or in a 220°C oven for 10 minutes to crisp the skin while the rice cooks.
Stage 4 - Cook the rice
- Drain the soaked rice.
- Strain the cooking liquid; you should have about 1.2 litres - top up with hot water if less.
- Return the strained liquid to the pot; add the rice.
- Bring to the boil; reduce to lowest heat; cover; cook 18-20 minutes.
- Off the heat, rest covered 10 minutes.
Stage 5 - Toast nuts and plump raisins
- Cook the almonds and pine nuts in the butter over medium heat until golden.
- Add the drained raisins; toss for 30 seconds; remove.
Stage 6 - Daqqus
- Combine all the salsa ingredients in a bowl. Rest 10 minutes.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Mound the rice on a wide platter.
- Place the crispy chicken on top.
- Scatter the nuts and raisins.
- Serve with daqqus on the side; the diners spoon it over their portion.
Notes
- Kabsa spice mix: A blend of black pepper, cardamom, coriander, cumin, cloves, dried lime and cinnamon. Pre-mixed jars are sold at Middle Eastern grocers; otherwise baharat is the closest substitute.
- Dried lime (loomi): Black or yellow whole dried limes pierce to release their flavour. Lemon juice is a poor substitute.
- Crisp the chicken: Saudi kabsa serves chicken with crisp skin. Hot grill or oven blast after the simmer; otherwise the skin stays soggy.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated; reheat covered with a splash of water.
- Freezes 3 months.
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