🍲 Maqluba

Name: Maqluba
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Levant · Palestine
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken pieces; 400 g long-grain rice, soaked 30 minutes; 2 eggplants, sliced into rounds; 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets; 2 tomatoes, sliced; 1 onion, quartered; 2 tsp maqluba spice mix (allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom); 3 tbsp vegetable oil, salt; 1.2 litres water

Origin: Levant · Palestine

542kcal

per serving · 350 g

155kcal

per 100 g

28 gProtein8 g / 100 g

21 gFat6 g / 100 g

63 gCarbs18 g / 100 g

Maqluba is a layered pot of chicken, fried eggplant, cauliflower and tomato topped with spiced rice and cooked together, then turned upside down onto a large platter. When the pot is lifted, it reveals a tall cake of rice crowned with the vegetables and meat. The rice is fragrant with spices like allspice, cinnamon and turmeric. It is a dish for sharing.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken

Not keto18 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

ricechickeneggplantcauliflowertomatospices

Recipe

6 servings90 min

Ingredients

1 kg chicken pieces
400 g long-grain rice, soaked 30 minutes
2 eggplants, sliced into rounds
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, quartered
2 tsp maqluba spice mix (allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom)
3 tbsp vegetable oil, salt
1.2 litres water

Method

Simmer the chicken with the onion, salt and half the spices in the water for 35 minutes; keep the broth.
Brush the eggplant and cauliflower with oil and roast at 220 °C for 25 minutes until golden.
Line a deep pot with tomato slices, then layer the chicken, eggplant and cauliflower.
Spread the drained rice on top, sprinkle with the remaining spices and pour over hot broth to cover by 2 cm.
Cover and cook on low heat for 30–35 minutes until the rice is tender; rest 10 minutes.
Place a large platter on the pot, flip it in one move and lift the pot slowly.

How to make it lighter

Roast the vegetables instead of deep-frying them — fried eggplant can soak up several tablespoons of oil, and 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
Remove the chicken skin before layering to cut fat.
Serve with a large salad and limit the rice portion to fit your budget.

History

The name means 'upside down' in Arabic, after the dramatic flip at the table. Maqluba is especially associated with Palestine and Jordan and is cooked throughout the Levant; a dish by this name appears in medieval Arabic cookbooks, though the modern version is younger. It is a classic for family gatherings and Friday lunches.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →