Arabic Rice

Arabic foods are something i adore especially the deserts. After settling in Abudhabi, i came across various medley of sweets like kunafe, umm ali, basbousa, Bakhlava, Aish el saraya, Qatayef and the list goes on and all of them are yummilicious. 

Coming to the rice, the Arabic rices are mostly cooked in meat stock which enhances the flavor of the rice and this Arabic Rice is a flavor packed one which is utterly delicious. I adapted the recipe from the Facebook group , JorenQers (recipe by Ms.Shabina Afzal). The rice is cooked in the chicken stock which mesmerizes it and is truly a crowd pleaser.

Arabic Rice
Preperation Time : 1 hour

Ingredients:-
Whole Chicken - 1000g
Basmati Rice - 3 cups
Water - 6 cups
Cardamom - 4
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1
Bay Leaf - 1
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Fennel - 1 tsp
Dry Lemon - 1
Onion - 1 (medium)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Arabic Masala - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Maggi cube - 1(optional)
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Green chilly -  2
Salt
Olive Oil
Charcoal

Method:-
1. Wash, soak and drain the rice.
2. Heat a pan and add dry spices. Let it splutter.
3. Add onion and saute till soft, add ginger garlic paste. saute till raw smell goes off.
4. Add all spice powders, tomato paste and maggi cube(if using) and saute well.
5. Keep 2 tbsp of this cooked masala aside and in the remaining masala add tomato puree and salt.
6. Add whole chicken and cook on both sides in the masala.
7. Add dry lemon and water. Let it boil.
8. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out and keep aside.
9. Add rice to the boiling water, cover and cook in low flame for about 25 minutes.
10.Check if more water or salt needed and adjust accordingly.
11.Now to the cooked whole chicken rub the 2 tbsp masal we had reserved, brush some olive oil and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degree Celsius, or on flame just to grill it.
12.Once the rice is cook, keep the grilled chicken over it.
13.Now heat a small piece of charcoal.
14. Keep a small steel bowl on the rice, place the burning charcoal in the bowl and add little olive oil.
15. Close the lid for 5 minutes so that the smoke is accumulated in the rice pot and the rice will have a charcoal effect.