Al Kabsa - Traditional Saudi Rice and Chicken

This was the first Arabic dish I ever made and it turned out extremely delicious, a new favorite! Serve Al Kabsa with a fresh mixed cucumber, carrot, lettuce, and tomato salad -- preferably with a little lime vinaigrette. Some fresh pita bread on the side would be nice also. Saudis like their Kabsa with a hot sauce called 'Shattah'. Enjoy!

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 528 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 pinch ground coriander
• ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ teaspoon saffron
• ¼ cup tomato puree
• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• ½ teaspoon dried whole lime powder
• 3 carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 ¼ cups hot water
• 2 ¼ cups unrinsed basmati rice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Mix together the saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, white pepper, and lime powder in a small bowl, and set the spice mix aside.

Step 2

Melt the butter in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and brown them over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Mix in the tomato puree.

Step 3

Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the grated carrots, whole cloves, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, and the Kabsa spice mix. Cook for about 3 minutes; pour in the water, and add the chicken bouillon cube.

Step 4

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes.

Step 5

Gently stir in the rice. Cover the pot and simmer until rice is tender and almost dry, about 25 minutes; add the raisins and a little more hot water, if necessary. Cover and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice grains are separate.

Step 6

Transfer the rice to a large serving platter and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the toasted slivered almonds over the dish.