Majboos recipe

Omani spiced rice cooked in the chicken broth, soured and perfumed by whole dried black limes.

2 hoursmedium12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 3 dried black limes
• 500 g basmati rice
• 1500 g chicken
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 4 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp bezar spice mix
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 tbsp rosewater
• 2 tsp salt

How to make Majboos

1. Pierce 3 dried black limes (loomi) in two places and soak them in warm water. They are what gives machboos its sour, smoky backbone; skip them and the dish is just spiced rice.
2. Rinse 500 g of basmati rice until the water runs clear and soak it 30 minutes.
3. Brown 1 chopped onion in oil, then add 4 crushed garlic cloves and 2 grated tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.
4. Stir in 2 tbsp bezar, the Omani mix of coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and dried lime, with 1 cinnamon stick and 6 cardamom pods.
5. Add 1.5 kg of chicken pieces and the soaked limes, pour in 1 litre of water with 2 tsp salt and simmer covered 40 minutes.
6. Lift the chicken out, brush it with the spiced fat and roast it 15 minutes at 220 C until the skin colours.
7. Strain the broth, make it up to 900 ml, drain the rice into it and cook covered on the lowest heat 20 minutes without stirring.
8. Steep a pinch of saffron in 1 tbsp rosewater and drizzle it over the rice; cover again for 5 minutes.
9. Pile the rice on a platter, lay the roasted chicken on top and serve with daqqus tomato sauce.

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