Saleeg
A Hijazi speciality: short-grain rice cooked in chicken broth and full-cream milk into a creamy savoury porridge, topped with butter-glazed chicken.
Overview
A Hijazi speciality that sits closer to a savoury rice porridge than to any other rice dish on the peninsula. You poach a whole chicken in a stock built around onion, cardamom, dried lime, mastic and bay for forty-five minutes, then strain the stock and reduce it. Short-grain rice cooks slowly in equal parts of that reduced stock and warm whole milk, stirred often over thirty-five minutes until it reaches a creamy, almost-risotto consistency. The dairy is what makes this dish what it is. The chicken comes out, gets brushed with butter and finished briefly under the grill so its skin turns gold, then sits on top of the rice for serving. Brown butter drizzled over, a heavy crack of black pepper, eaten with bread torn at the table. Comfort food of Mecca and Medina, traditionally served at Hijazi weddings and family gatherings.
Ingredients
Chicken and stock
- 1 whole chicken (1.4-1.6 kg) jointed into 8 pieces
- 2 onions (halved)
- 6 cardamom pods (bruised)
- 2 dried black limes (loomi - pierced)
- 1 mastic gum tear (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 litres water
Rice
- 400 g short-grain rice (Egyptian, Calrose or arborio at a pinch)
- 1.2 litres reduced chicken stock (from above)
- 600 ml whole milk (warm)
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Finishing
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- Yogurt
- Sahawiq
Method
Stage 1 - Chicken
- Place the chicken, onion, cardamom, black limes, mastic, bay, peppercorns, salt and water in a wide pot.
- Bring to a simmer; skim the scum.
- Cover; simmer 45 minutes until just cooked.
- Lift the chicken pieces out onto a tray. Strain the stock through a sieve into a measuring jug.
Stage 2 - Reduce stock
- Return the strained stock to the pot; reduce on high heat to 1.2 litres (10 minutes if you need to).
Stage 3 - Rice
- Rinse the rice in 3 changes of cold water; drain.
- In a heavy pot, melt the 50 g butter over medium heat. Add the rice; toast 1 minute.
- Pour in the reduced stock; bring to a simmer.
- After 15 minutes, when the rice has absorbed most of the stock, stir in the warm milk in 3 additions, stirring often.
- Cook another 15-20 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is creamy and slightly soupy (it will thicken as it rests). Taste; adjust salt.
Stage 4 - Finish the chicken
- Heat the grill to high. Brush the chicken with melted butter.
- Grill 5-7 minutes until the skin is deep gold and slightly crisped.
Stage 5 - Plate
- Tip the rice onto a wide platter; smooth.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on top.
- Brown the 60 g of butter in a small pan until golden and nutty (smells of toasted hazelnuts); pour over the rice.
- Sprinkle generously with cracked black pepper.
- Serve with yogurt and sahawiq.
Notes
- Short-grain matters: Saleeg's texture is creamy and soupy. Long-grain (basmati) gives a dry pilaf - not saleeg. Egyptian, Calrose or Italian arborio work; even pudding rice.
- Stir often: Like risotto, this benefits from agitation. Lazy cooking gives lumpy or scorched rice.
- Brown butter is the finish: Plain melted butter is fine; properly browned butter (samna baladi) is signature - take it to a nutty deep gold, not black.
Storage
- Best eaten fresh. The rice thickens cold; reheat with a generous splash of warm milk on low heat, stirring.
- Refrigerate 2 days; chicken keeps 3.
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