Spiced Maqluba With Tomatoes And Tahini Sauce Recipes

SPICED MAQLUBA WITH TOMATOES AND TAHINI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine lentils with 1 quart/1 liter cold water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to keep temperature low, then stir in rice. Simmer for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through. (The rice won't be ready at this stage.)
• Drain very well. Stir in lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, cardamom, allspice, turmeric, half of the parsley, plenty of pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large nonstick frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onions, 3/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper and cook, stirring, until soft and well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Using olive oil, grease a 10-inch-/25-centimeter-wide saucepan with straight sides and a lid. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper.
• In a bowl, toss tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper and then arrange them flat on the bottom of the pan. (If using cherry tomatoes, lay the cut sides down.) Layer the cooked onions on top and then spoon the rice mixture over the onions, smoothing it down so the surface is flat. Using a skewer, poke about 6 holes in the rice and then sprinkle the surface with 2 tablespoons water. Place the pan over high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pan with a clean tea towel followed by the lid and then cook for 15 minutes, until rice is barely cooked. (Take care that the towel edges are held safely over the lid so they don't catch fire!) Check after 10 minutes to make sure the pan is not dry; add a little water if needed.
• Set pan aside for at least 20 minutes (with the lid and tea towel left on); residual heat will finish the cooking.
• While rice rests, make tahini sauce: In a bowl, combine tahini with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 cup/90 milliliters of water. Whisk until smooth and creamy and set aside.
• When ready to serve, remove the lid and tea towel and then cover the top of the pan with a large platter. With one hand on the pan and the other holding the platter, invert the dish so that the top of the rice is now the base of the maqluba on the platter (like unmolding an upside-down cake). Tap the bottom of the pan a few times to help the tomatoes ease off the bottom. Peel off and discard the paper.
• Serve hot, with shallots and remaining parsley sprinkled on top. Pass tahini sauce at the table.

CARROT MAQLUBA

Steps:

• Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Add rice to a bowl with water to cover and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain. To the drained rice, add 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, plus all the spices. Mix to combine, then set aside.
• In a medium (9- to 10-inch), lidded nonstick pot (preferably not deeper than 6 inches), heat the olive oil over medium until shimmering but not smoking. Add the steak cubes, onions and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, periodically tossing around, until any meat juices evaporate and meat browns nicely all around, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots and cook, stirring regularly, until carrots are glossy and just starting to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and make sure the meat and carrot mixture is evenly spread in the bottom of the pot. Top with the spiced rice mixture (do not mix).
• Slowly pour the broth into the pot (it should rise about 1/2 inch above the rice). Set an inverted (heatproof) plate over the rice to keep the rice and vegetables from mixing when broth boils. Ideally, the plate should be slightly smaller than the width of the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Taste the broth at this point and salt it to your liking.
• Cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low, remove the plate but return the lid, and simmer until the rice is fully cooked with no remaining bite, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the bottom of the lid with a tea towel or kitchen paper towels and cover again. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• To serve, remove the lid and place a large, inverted serving platter over the pot of rice. Using both hands, flip the pot, and slowly lift to reveal a beautiful cake-shaped dish. Garnish with toasted almonds and serve.

MAHA SARSOUR'S MAQLUBA (UPSIDE-DOWN CHICKEN AND RICE)

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons. Season well with salt, and let sit 30 minutes. Place the chicken in a large pot (a 10-inch, 5-quart size is ideal), and season well with salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground cumin, cloves, cardamom pods and bay leaves (ideally, do this the day before). Pour 3 cups of boiling water over the rice. Soak for 10 minutes, then drain well.
• To the chicken, add the onion wedges, 1 tablespoon salt and 4 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, covered, over high heat, then turn down to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Drain the chicken, keeping the broth and discarding the onion and spices.
• Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot, then fry the carrots, in batches if necessary, turning occasionally until browned, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then season lightly with salt. Repeat with the potato, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the cauliflower, about 7 minutes per batch. Finally, press the eggplant with paper towel until dry, then fry the eggplant in one layer until browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, but don't season. (If the eggplant is too oily, press on it with paper towels.)
• Pour out the oil, keeping 2 1/2 tablespoons in the pan. Heat it over medium-high heat and add the vermicelli, stirring until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the drained rice and cook, stirring, to dry it out, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, Sazón and garlic, and cook, stirring, until very fragrant.
• Place the chicken back in the pot, skin side down. Place the vegetables on top, then rice. Pour in 4 cups of the chicken broth. Press down on the rice; add more broth or water if needed to bring the liquid barely to the level of the rice. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn it down to medium low. After 10 minutes, carefully stir just the rice to evenly combine the harder rice on top. Repeat after another 10 minutes. After a total of 30 minutes, the rice should be cooked, but not soft, and the liquid should be absorbed.
• Place a very large serving dish on top of the pot, then, protecting your hands (and maybe with a partner), invert the pot onto the dish in one smooth motion. If there is liquid seeping out, spoon it out or soak it up with paper towels. Let the pot rest at least 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Fry the pine nuts, stirring constantly, until browned, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
• Lift off the pot to reveal the maqluba, and scatter the pine nuts all over. Serve with yogurt and chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley on the side, seasoned with lemon, salt and olive oil.