Lamb Maqluba is a Palestinian meat and rice dish. Lamb broth is made with onion, tomato paste, and simple spices; then a layer of fried vegetables, meat, and rice is cooked in a special way that gives this recipe its unique name and shape, which is an upside-down rice cake. Simple and raw materials are put together to make an absolutely unique and scrumptious rice cake.
What goes into lamb Maqluba
Lamb
I start by frying pieces of meat with onion, whole spices, and tomato paste. Then, add some ground spices. After adding water, cook the meat until tender. I prefer to use an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to save time during this step.
Spices
I used some whole and other ground spices.
For whole spices, I used cinnamon, bay leaf, green cardamom, black pepper and cloves.
For ground spices, I used salt, turmeric, black pepper, and allspice.
Onion and tomato paste
I used 1 medium-sized white onion and chopped it for even cooking. For the unique color of Maqlouba, you’ll also need some tomato paste. Start by saueting onion with whole spices then add lamb. Once the color start changing addin tomato paste and ground spices.
Rice
You’ll need extra-long grain basmati rice for this recipe. Wash and then soak the rice for about 30 minutes so the rice can plump up and cook perfectly. I recommend using aged long grain basmati rice for this recipe. You can also use sella rice especially if you are a beginner.
Vegetables
There are a variety of vegetables that you can use to make Maqlouba. Traditionally, vegetables are cut into slices and then deep-fried. I used 1 large eggplant, 4 small potatoes, and 2 medium-sized tomatoes. After slicing the potatoes and eggplant, I pan-fried them with a little bit of oil. If you deep-fry eggplants, they will absorb a huge amount of oil, but traditionally, they are deep-fried. You can also use cauliflower.
I didn’t salt any veggies before cooking, but when I was layering the veggies in the pot, I sprinkled 1/4 tsp between each layer.
Water to rice ratio
If you are using aged basmati rice like me. Make sure to let it soak for 30 minutes and then for each cup of rice use 2 cups of water or broth. For long grian basmati rice that are not aged you can use 1.5 cups of water or broth per cup of rice.
How to fix Maqlouba if my rice are undercooked
If you noticed your rice is undercooked after steaming, then sprinkle 1/4 cup of warm water all over the rice. Cover the pot with a wet paper towel and let it steam for another 15-20 minutes. Then wait for another 15 minutes before turning it upside down.
How to flip maqluba?
Flipping the maqluba can be a little tricky; first of all, you’ll need a round dish that can fit above the pot. It must be big enough to hold the overflow of rice. After letting the rice sit for 15-20 minutes, put the plate on top of it, and by holding both the plate and pot from both sides, do a quick flip. That is the most efficient and foolproof way of flipping the maqluba. Make sure to wear kitchen mittens to avoid burning.
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Lamb Maqluba
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lamb
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups rice
- 1 medium onion
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Whole spices
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 green cardamoms
- 7 cloves
- 7 black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
Ground spices
- 3 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp all spice powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
Vegetables
- 1 large eggplant 1 lbs
- 4 small potatoes 1 lbs
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1/4 cup oil for frying vegetables
- 1/2 tsp salt
Garnish
- Parsley optional
- 1/4 cup Almonds optional
Instructions
- Peel and chop your onions, separate all of your whole spices, and ground spices
Cook lamb
- In an instant pot, over sauté mode add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, add chopped onion and whole spices and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add lamb, ground spices, and tomato paste. Mix it well and cook for 5 minutes. Now add 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 20 minutes
- If you are using a regular pot, then cook for 45- 60 minutes or until the meat is tender. Replenish water as needed.
- Once 20 minutes are over release the pressure from instant pot and separate the lamb and strain the broth.
- Wash and soak long-grain basmati rice.
Prepare vegetables
- Meanwhile slice eggplants, peel and cut potatoes and cut tomatoes into circles.
- In another pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and fry potatoes for 1 minutes from each side
- Take them out and add more oil, and then shallow-fry eggplants. Again, for 1 minute per side.
- Once the vegetables are fried, take them out in a bowl and sprinkle some salt
Layer the maqluba
- In a pot with straight edges, add 1 tbsp of oil, and brush it all around, then add a layer of eggplants, potatoes, lamb, and tomatoes. You can add tomatoes on the bottom or decide your own layering style.
- Now, drain your rice and add a layer of rice. Press down the rice and add the broth we made earlier. Use a spoon as you are pouring the broth to avoid disturbing the layers. (Check out the video)
- Cook over high heat for the first five minutes, then on medium heat until most of the water is dry.
- Once you can see holes start to form in the rice, and most of the water is dry. Cover with a paper towel and a lid, and steam for 15-20 minutes.
- Wait for 20 minutes before flipping the Maqluba.Use a dish that can fit over the pot, and the trick is to flip the pot quickly while holding it from both sides.