This is an AI-generated image.

Machboos

Name: Machboos
Total time: 80 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: United Arab Emirates
Ingredients: 2 cups Basmati rice; 4 (bone-in recommended) Chicken Thigh; 2 Onion; 2 Tomato; 3 cloves Garlic; 1 knob Ginger; 1 tbsp Kabsa spice mix; 1/2 tsp Turmeric; 1 Cinnamon stick; 4 pods Cardamom; 1 Lemon; A pinch Saffron; 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil; 2 tsp Salt; 800ml Water; 2 tbsp Raisins

Rice

⏱ 80 min

👥 Serves 6

Difficulty ⭐⭐

Rice cooked in the broth of spice-simmered chicken — the national rice dish of the UAE.

📱 Open in Storage App

🚧 The Storage app is currently in development. Please check back soon.

📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Machboos is a spiced rice dish shared across the Gulf states and a signature of Emirati home cooking. Chicken or lamb is simmered with a spice mix called bzar and dried lime (loomi), and the rice is cooked in that broth. Served on a big platter topped with the meat, it's a dish of Gulf hospitality shared with family and guests.

🌆 Where it's eaten: In the majlis (sitting room) of an Emirati home, a big platter of spiced rice is set on a cloth spread on the floor as family and guests sit around it in a circle.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 6)

Basmati rice 2 cups
Chicken Thigh 4 (bone-in recommended)
Onion 2
Tomato 2
Garlic 3 cloves
Ginger 1 knob
Kabsa spice mix 1 tbsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick 1
Cardamom 4 pods
Lemon 1
Saffron A pinch
Vegetable Oil 3 tbsp
Salt 2 tsp
Water 800ml
Raisins 2 tbsp

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Rinse the rice and soak in water for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pot, fry the sliced onions until golden, and add the garlic, ginger, and spices.
Add the chicken and brown, then add the diced tomato, a slit lemon, water, and salt and simmer 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken and roast at 200°C for 10 minutes.
Add the rice to the cooking liquid, cover, and cook on low for 20 minutes; scatter with saffron water and raisins and let stand 10 minutes.
Mound the rice on a platter and top with the chicken.

← More United Arab Emirates recipes 🗺 Explore another country