Al-Kabsa recipe

Al-Kabsa

(Arabic Biryani)

Al-Kabsa is a traditional Saudi dish made of meat and rice with spices and nuts adding extra taste and flavor to it. Al-Kabsa is a dish you can say between Biryani and Palao as the similarity is quite close.

It is served on all special occasions like Eid, Weddings, Ramdhan or parties, it is believed to be indigenous to Yemen but is being enjoyed as a Saudi National dish.

Al-Kabsa is a very flavorful and tasty dish with less spices where the Biryani and Pulao are more spicier then Al-Kabsa. People use different techniques for cooking the meat for this dish but the traditional way is rice are cooked in chicken stock and believe me it make lots of difference and the rice be very flavorful, simply take the chicken out of stock once its cooked and cook the rice in left over stock.

Ingredients:

1: Chicken 2kg (cut in 8-10 pieces)

2: Butter 1/4 cup

3: Onion 2 medium (finely chopped)

4: Tomato paste 1tbsp

5: Tomatoes 2 (peeled and chopped)

6: Garlic cloves 6 (minced)

7: Carrot 1 cup (shredded)

8: Cumin 1/8 tsp (ground)

9: Coriander powder 1/8 tsp

10: Salt as per taste

11: Black pepper powder as per taste

12: Water 4 cups (hot)

13: Chicken stock cube 1

14: Basmati rice 3 cups

15: Raisins 1/4 cup

16: Almonds 1/4 cup (peeled & roasted)

17: Saffron 1/2 tsp

18: Green Cardamoms 1/4 tsp (ground)

19: Cinnamon 1/2 tsp (ground)

20: Allspice 1/2 tsp (ground)

21: White pepper 1/2 tsp (ground)

22: Orange zest 1/2 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a large non-stick pan add onions and grated ginger, cook till onions turn brown on a medium flame, add chicken pieces and saute for a few minutes, add orange zest, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, tomato paste, cumin, chopped tomatoes and salt, combine well and cook for a few minutes till the oil rises on top. add water & stock cube and cook the chicken covered for 30 minutes on low flame.

After the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and place it to a baking pan and broil at high for 5 minutes or till the chicken turns brown. Be careful not to burn the chicken while broiling.

To the remaining stock in the pan, add the soaked rice and shredded carrot, Re-Cover & simmer for 35 - 40 minutes, add saffron, adding the raisins for the last 10 minutes - or until rice is tender (if the liquid dries out and you need to cook the rice more, add more water accordingly and cook the rice).

While the rice are cooking, heat a frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil and add almonds to it, fry till it turns light golden brown, Keep aside in a paper towel, in the same oil, add the raisins and fry till it's puffed up, keep aside in a paper towel.

Place the rice on a large serving dish, topped with the chicken, garnished with almonds.

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