One Pot Wonder- Makloubeh

posted on: Aug 25, 2021

By: Waverly Nohr / Arab America Contributing Writer

Makloubeh? Doesn’t that translate from Arabic to mean “upside down?” Yes, yes it does! If you haven’t seen it, makloubeh is an Arab dish that is composed of vegetables, meat, and a whole lot of rice. Similar to a cake or the concept of a seven-layer bean dip that is popular amongst American parties, makloubeh is arranged in layers. Traditionally, a big pot is used to pack in vegetables, then meat, and lastly, rice. If we are comparing it to a dish that is popular amongst non-Arabs, it shares the same concept as a pineapple upside-down cake. That’s right! When the spiced rice is layered in, the next step is to turn the deep pot over and see if your creation has held its shape or if the rice has cascaded down the mountain that makes up the dish.  

Referring to the recipe below from everylittlecrumb.com, this recipe is going to be deconstructed to make it as easy and educational as possible. 

Firstly comes the vegetables, “Veggies: I like using cauliflower, eggplants, and potatoes. Most recipes use either eggplants OR cauliflower, but using both is majorly delicious. We also use tomato slices and chickpeas when assembling the actual maklouba in the pan.” Says Chef Farah Abumaizar. 

For the roasted vegetables: 

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil for drizzling on the vegetables 
• 1 tsp salt for seasoning the vegetables 
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and sliced, 
• 2 medium-sized eggplants, peeled into strips and sliced lengthwise into strips 
• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into large florets 

You will not be able to assemble without this key ingredient! “Rice: I use basmati rice, but you can also do a mix of short grain and basmati. Short grain or Egyptian rice tends to be a little mushier, so you have to be careful not too add to much broth to it.” 

For assembling: 

• 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 
• 2 tomatoes, sliced 
• 1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 7 oz total (200g) 
• 2.5 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained well 
• salt for sprinkling 

Nothing says makloubeh like the meat! “Meat: I used boneless lamb chunks, you can also use bone-in lamb pieces or beef pieces.” This part goes hand in hand with “Aromatics for the broth: An onion and a whole head of garlic, cut into half for the broth as well as whole spices like cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. 

Spices: After the broth is strained, we mix in salt, pepper, turmeric, seven spice or allspice, and cumin powder.” 

Be sure to diligently choose your aromatics and spices because, without those tools, this makloubeh could turn out quite differently than what is intended by Chef Farah Abumaizar 

“Ingredients for the meat broth: 

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil 
• 1.5 lb lamb pieces, boneless or bone-in 700g 
• 1 onion, cut into half 
• 1 head garlic, cut into half 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 4 whole cardamom pods 
• 4 cloves 
• 2 cinnamon sticks 
• 4 cups water 
• 1 tsp seven spices or allspice powder 
• 2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp black pepper 
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients and hopefully gotten out of your pot, get cooking! 

Instructions 

Prepare the vegetables: 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 C (220C). Add the cauliflower florets and potato slices to one baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and spread out. Add the eggplant slices to another baking sheet lined with parchment paper, in a single layer. Drizzle both trays of vegetables with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place both trays in the oven at the same time. 

2. Roast for around 30 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and cooked through. they’ll probably need around 30 minutes. You can flip the potato slices around halfway through, but it’s not necessary. Once vegetables have roasted, remove from the oven and set aside until it’s time for assembling. 

For the meat: 

3. Add the oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the meat pieces and cook, stirring until browned on each side. Add the onion and garlic, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. 

4. Add enough water to the pot to cover the meat completely. I used 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then skim off any foam that accumulates on the surface and discard it. 

5. Cover the pot, reduce heat to a medium-low simmer, and cook for 40-45 minutes or until lamb pieces are cooked through and tender. Alternatively, you could cook the meat in a pressure cooker or instant pot according to your preference. 

6. Once the meat is cooked, pour the stock over a strainer, catching the stock in a bowl. Discard the whole spices, and keep the meat pieces aside. 

7. To the strained stock, stir in the seven spices or all spices, salt, black pepper, cumin powder, and turmeric powder. Taste it, it should taste pretty salty. Set stock aside. 

To assemble: 

8. In a large clean saucepan (you can clean the one you used to make the stock), drizzle the oil to coat the bottom. Layer the tomato slices on the bottom, this will help keep the rice from sticking. 

9. Arrange the eggplant slices evenly around the pan, coming up the sides of the pan if you can so that they’ll sort of end up wrapping the rice mixture (see the video below for clarification). 

10. Sprinkle the eggplants with salt, and add all the meat cubes to the pan. Add the chickpeas on top of the meat. Add half the rice and spread it out evenly. Add the cooked potato slices and half the cauliflower florets. Season these vegetables with a sprinkle of salt. 

11. Add the second half of the rice on top of the vegetables, and pat with the pack of a wooden spoon to firmly press it into the pan. 

12. Pour the meat stock over the rice. It should cover the top of the rice by about 1/2 inch. If you need to, add a little water in order to submerge the rice, maybe 1/2 cup or so. Place the pot of rice on medium-high heat until the water in it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes or so, then tightly cover (if your lid doesn’t fit tightly, you can place a kitchen towel under the lid before covering). 

13. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 50-55 minutes, until all the broth has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy. Remove from heat and let the pot stand for 5-10 minutes. 

14. After the rice has rested, remove the lid and place a serving platter or tray on top of the pot. Flip the pot upside down, but don’t lift the pot up for a few minutes to give the rice time to drop. After a few minutes pass, slowly use the pot handles to lift and remove the pot. 

15. Garnish your makloubeh with plenty of toasted nuts and parsley. Enjoy immediately! We like this with yogurt and/or a simple green salad.” 

Other than the long list of ingredients you’ll need, makloubeh can be prepared in just one pot and then flipped onto a serving dish. If prepared to be eaten “family style”, then this whole dinner will only use two pieces of dishware. It is well worth a try and will have your family going for a second helping of this delicious dish. 

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