There is a cause nearly each nook of the world has its personal model of hen and rice. Few meals promise as a lot consolation for as little effort. Tender, juicy hen nestled in fluffy, spice-scented grains that drink up each drop of taste—what might be higher? Throughout the Arabian Peninsula, that promise takes the type of kabsa, a dish constructed on layered spices, aromatic rice, and tender meat that is deeply fragrant and meant to be shared.

A Temporary Historical past of Kabsa

Kabsa is a spiced rice and meat dish from Saudi Arabia’s Hijaz area, the place centuries of pilgrims and merchants transferring by Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah formed the native cooking. Because the western gateway for the annual Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the area turned a crossroads for vacationers, retailers, and cooks from throughout the Muslim world. Kabsa is without doubt one of the few Saudi dishes that crossed into my household’s Levantine kitchen and stayed, exhibiting up typically sufficient that it stopped feeling borrowed. The title comes from the Arabic root kabasa, that means “to press,” a nod to the way in which the rice is packed into a big pot to prepare dinner.

The Hijaz, alongside Saudi Arabia’s western coast, has lengthy been a crossroads of commerce and migration. From the eighth century onward, maritime routes throughout the Pink Sea and down the Arabian Sea linked its ports—particularly Jeddah and people farther south close to Oman—to India, East Africa, and past. From India got here basmati rice and a nuanced use of spice, with blends that layer flavors from spices similar to cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves. From Persia—related by Gulf and sea commerce—got here dried limes and the custom of cooking rice with meat and aromatic broth, which unfold all through the Arabian Peninsula. Kabsa sits at that intersection: long-grain rice, heat spices, and a cooked-down tomato base that stains the grains brick-red.

Why I Love Kabsa

In our home, kabsa was all the time made with hen and shredded carrots that melted into the rice as they cooked, tinting it orange and including a faint sweetness. Not each Saudi family makes it that method—many skip the carrots completely. Kabsa can be made with lamb. Whereas particular substances might change, the bones of the dish keep the identical: rice cooked with meat, tomatoes, and a heat, beneficiant combination of spices similar to cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and turmeric.

The attraction of kabsa comes from its layered flavors, constructed not simply from the spice mix but additionally from loomi limes (dried limes, or limu omani), which add depth and complexity. These small limes are boiled in salt water, then left to dry within the solar (or in industrial dehydrators) till their skins darken, typically to an nearly black shade, and their insides harden to a brittle pulp. They carry a musky but floral notice, with a faintly fermented edge that deepens as they simmer. One goes a great distance; they’re additionally typically pierced with a fork or knife earlier than being added to a pot so their aroma and delicate bitterness higher seep into the broth. Throughout the Gulf, loomi limes are utilized in curries, stews, and rice, lending their distinctive, complicated tang to a wide range of dishes. In Iran, they seem in ghormeh sabzi and ghalieh mahi, the place they infuse the sauce with the same complexity.

Cooking the Rooster

Historically, kabsa is made by simmering the hen in water with aromatics till tender, straining the broth, and utilizing it to prepare dinner the rice. The hen is then broiled simply earlier than serving for shade and crispness. My model retains the spirit of that course of however simplifies it. Searing the hen first builds taste straight within the pot, forsaking browned bits that develop into the bottom for the rice. Extra importantly, it renders among the hen fats, which, together with ghee, is used to sauté the onions, garlic, and spices. The result’s a deeper taste with fewer steps.

As soon as the hen is browned and put aside, the onions go in and prepare dinner till golden, adopted by garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and an arsenal of spices. The immensely aromatic combination darkens to a burnished pink. Tomatoes and carrots are added subsequent and cooked down till thick and jammy; lowering them at this stage concentrates their taste and drives off extra moisture so the rice does not find yourself soggy.

The best way to Get Excellent Rice

For kabsa, the feel of the rice is simply as necessary as its taste. Unrinsed rice turns gummy because it cooks, the floor starch thickening the liquid and gluing the grains collectively—an excellent factor whenever you need sticky rice, however not right here, the place the objective is distinct, separate grains. Washing the basmati rice completely till the water runs clear rinses away extra starch, so the grains keep separate and fluffy as a substitute of clumping. As soon as rinsed and drained, the rice is added to the pot with the aromatics and toasted briefly earlier than water is added .

As soon as the water is added, the hen is nestled into the rice. The liquid involves a boil, then the warmth is lowered so all the things cooks gently, coated, till the rice has absorbed the liquid. Mild warmth is essential right here, because it’s regular sufficient to prepare dinner the rice evenly with out scorching the underside. Too low a warmth drags the cooking out and finally burns the underside of the rice; too excessive does the identical earlier than the rice is completed. Off the warmth, the pot rests so the steam can end cooking the grains. Whereas it sits, the hen will be broiled if browned, crisp pores and skin is desired.

The most important problem in growing this model of kabsa was discovering the proper rice-to-water ratio. On the standard 1 half rice to 1 1/2 components water, the rice turned mushy and waterlogged, and I used to be compelled to overcook the rice simply to drive off the additional moisture launched by the tomatoes, carrots, and hen. Once I modified the ratio to 1 half rice to 1.14 components water (about 2 1/3 cups water to 2 cups rice), the rice swung too far within the different route—some grains stayed agency even after I lowered the warmth in an try to provide them extra time to show tender, which not solely did not work but additionally scorched the underside of the Dutch oven. The candy spot turned out to be 1 half rice to 1.25 components water (about 2 1/2 to 2 5/8 cups water for two cups rice). That is sufficient for the grains to totally hydrate at a gradual simmer and never flip mushy. When the rice is completed, a spoonful of ghee is gently folded in simply earlier than serving, bringing a silky sheen and nutty aroma.

The Raisin-Nut Topping

Kabsa is completed with a fast topping of toasted nuts and raisins, which will be cooked in oil or ghee. The almonds go in first, adopted by pine nuts, which take much less time to brown, then golden raisins that swelter within the warmth till they’re plump and barely caramelized. The combination is poured straight over the rice, the oil seeping between the grains. The toasted nuts add crunch to the rice, whereas the raisins convey a chewy, fruity sweetness that performs towards the heat of the spices and the savoriness of the hen. As soon as poured over the kabsa, the nuts and raisins glisten like tiny jewels scattered throughout the floor.

The best way to Serve Kabsa

After the rice is fluffed, it is transferred onto a big platter, topped with the hen, and spooned with the raisin-nut combination. Historically, kabsa is served alongside daqoos, a spicy tomato salsa eaten with many rice dishes throughout Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Shiny, garlicky, and evenly spiced, it is spooned over the rice on the desk to chop by the richness. In my family, we did not all the time make daqoos; we served kabsa with yogurt as a substitute, in true Levantine vogue, the place yogurt goes with all the things. No matter you serve it with, the dish all the time appears like a centerpiece—the sienna gradient of the rice, streaked with spices and dotted with shiny raisins, giving it a celebratory look that feels as grand because it tastes.