KABSAH RECIPES

Steps:

• Place chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts into a large pan and pour in 6 cups water; stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chopped onion, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken, strain the broth, and retain 4 cups of broth.
• While chicken is simmering, rinse basmati rice thoroughly until water runs clear. Place into a bowl and mix in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cardamom pods, whole cloves, nutmeg, baharat spice mix, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and black pepper. Let the rice sit while you complete remaining steps.
• Soak golden raisins with 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan. Cook and stir 2 cups onion with tomatoes until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in the seasoned rice and cook until rice grains are hot, 2 to 3 minutes; pour in reserved 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Mix in soaked golden raisins. Place 3 tablespoons butter into the pan, let melt, and turn heat to low; simmer covered until rice is tender, about 45 minutes.
• Tear chicken meat off the bones into bite-size pieces. Spread the rice onto a large serving platter and distribute cooked chicken over the rice to serve.

Steps:

• Mix together the saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, white pepper, and lime powder in a small bowl, and set the spice mix aside.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Transfer the rice to a large serving platter and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the toasted slivered almonds over the dish.