Al Kabsa - Ancient Arabian Chicken and Fragrant Rice

"This classic Arabian dish is Saudi Arabian in origin, and is believed to originate from the nomadic Bedouin tribes centuries ago. Arabic cuisine has its roots in tent cookery. Nomadic tribes could use only transportable foods such as rice and dates, or their nomadic stock like sheep and camels in their recipes. As the caravans journeyed throughout the Middle East, new seasonings and vegetables were discovered and added to the existing repertoire. Each new discovery was incorporated into the diet in quantities palatable to a particular tribe - a fact that many cooks believe is responsible for the anomalies found in some Arabic dishes today. You can use lamb (or camel !!) in this dish, but it is more usual to make it with chicken nowadays. I have a recipe posted on Zaar for the Kabsa spice mix needed in this recipe. Recipe #290159"
 
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photo by Lorrie in Montreal photo by Lorrie in Montreal
photo by Lorrie in Montreal
photo by Lorrie in Montreal photo by Lorrie in Montreal
Ready In:
40mins
Ingredients:
15
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Slice the onion and garlic, cut the tomatoes in to wedges and chop the fresh coriander.
  • Heat the oil in a casserole dish and add the onions, garlic - sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, then add chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the rice and sauté for about 3 minutes before adding the tomato, spices, salt and dried limes.
  • Add water just enough to cover the rice mixture and bring to boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, stir in the sultanas and almonds, then leave for further 10 minutes with the lid on.
  • Remove the lid, stir well and serve with the following sauce.
  • Accompanying Sauce.
  • Skin the tomatoes and mix all the ingredients together, season to taste.
  • Serve the Kabsa with the tomato sauce and flatbreads.
  • NB. If making up the Kabsa spice mixture fresh - grind all the spices together in a coffee grinder or a food processor/mixer, or with a pestle and mortar.

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Reviews

  1. Hey thts really really tasty i assure..but a lil bit less spicy for my hubby..gonna add some more spices to chicken next time .bt a healthy addition to my menu list :)
     
  2. 4 3/4 stars. This is quite yummy! I just did this one to taste with all the same ingredients yet I used canned plum tomatoes in the rice part. I used sea salt, an unrefined olive oil, Recipe #36902 since I already had it on hand. Instead of green chillies in the sauce I added a bit of cayenne pepper as I had it around. I served this with Recipe #423686's sauce only with chopped up English cucumber added which was a very nice accompaniment. A meal I will make again. Made for ZWT6 NA*ME regions, for my team, The Ya Ya Cookerhood.
     
  3. Made for Photo Tag. I have to thank you for introducing me to this lovely dish,Karen.You have broadened my spice repetoire once again.I made this with chicken and can only think how delicious it would be with Lamb as well.When I use Cardamom...I always think of exotic, perfumed, far away places. Just lovely.
     
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<p><strong><span>The sunflowers in the field behind my house in SW France:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Sunflowers src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/DSCN8221.jpg alt=Sunflowers width=640 height=480 /><br /><strong><span><br /><br />I am British (English-Scottish), but I was born in South Africa and have lived all over the world, including Hong Kong, Germany, Cyprus, USA &amp; Singapore. I have also been very fortunate to have travelled extensively over the years.........I still have wanderlust! <br /><br />I used to be an English Literature &amp; Art History teacher &amp; lecturer; before that, I trained and worked as a Graphic Designer for many years. I now live in France with my husband &amp; my daughter who has just started university in September 2006. We also have one very chatty Burmese cat Willow, who allows us to live with her here! (I used to have three cats, I recently lost Monty, a beautiful seal point Siamese and before that, Rama, who was a debonair blue point Siamese cat - I would love to have another Siamese cat or cats in the future!)</span></strong></p> <p><em><strong><span>This is my Burmese Cat, Willow, sunning herself on the log pile in the kitchen garden:</span></strong></em></p> <p><strong><img title=My src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/ABaconButtyandSundryFoodPhotos34.jpg alt=My width=640 height=480 /></strong></p> <p><strong><span>Here is my lovely Monty, a seal point Siamese, and Willow, sitting&nbsp;in the kitchen garden last year, and a few months before Monty died; he was 18yrs old:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Monty src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/AbsolutelySinfulStickyToffeePudding.jpg alt=Monty width=640 height=480 />My</p> <p><strong><span>This is my wonderful old boy, Rama, a blue-point Siamese, who died when he was 20yrs old - excuse the old and much sellotaped photo:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Rama src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/Rama1stOctober2004164.jpg alt=Rama width=517 height=639 /></p> <p><strong><span>My favourite pastimes are: reading, writing, painting &amp; drawing, photography, gardening, anything creative, walking, travelling, dining out and of course COOKING! 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