Upside Down Rice Dish: Maqluba مقلوبة

Magluba, literally "Upside Down" is a Palestinian dish which has become famous throughout the Arab world, including Libya. Aubergine and/or cauliflower are laid at the base of the pot with the meat, then rice is added.Typically a red meat maqluba uses aubergine, while a chicken maqluba calls for cauliflower, but they can be mixed. After the magluba is cooked, the pot is turned upside down, so the dish is served with the meat and vegetables on top of the rice. Fried almonds and/or pine nuts are sprinkled on top.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

500g - 750g deboned lean lamb/beef cut into portion sized cubes
Spices for the meat/chicken stock: salt and pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 cardamom 
3 cups short grain rice, washed and drained
Spices for the magluba: 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp turmeric

Vegetable oil for frying/ brushing

1 medium size aubergine cut into thick slices

1 small cauliflower divided into segments

2-3 medium onions cut into wings

1 finly chopped small onion

6  unpeeled large garlic cloves (optional)
To Serve
1/2 cup pine-nuts or blanched halved almonds, fried until golden

 Put about 3 liters of boiling water in a pot, add meat cubes, chopped onions, stock spices and salt. When the meat is cooked set it aside, add more salt to the broth (the broth should be distinctly oversalted) and keep it hot to cook the rice in it. 

While the meat cooks prepare the onion. In a pan, sauté the onion and the unpeeled garlic cloves in a little oil until slightly browned.  

The vegetables are usually fried, but I prefer to place them on a hot tray under the grill having brushed them generously on both sides with olive oil. 

Brush the bottom of a non stick pot (preferably aluminium) with oil, layer the cooked meat at the bottom and add the fried onion and unpeeled garlic cloves to fill in the spaces.

 Add the cauliflower, then the aubergine. Press the vegetables down with the palm of your hand to create an even layer, then sprinkle the magloba spices on top. 

 Top the vegetables with the washed and well drained rice and press lightly down.

 Now gradually ladle the hot broth on top of the rice. Pour each ladle slowly to preserve your maqluba layers. the broth  should be about two fingers' width over the rice. Don't stir at all. Cook on medium heat, leaving the pot uncovered until the broth start bubbling and is about level with the rice.  

It will look like this, don't stir, reduce heat and cover the pan tightly with foil and then the lid. Don't uncover for at least 30 minutes.  

Taste the rice, if cooked remove from heat and leave to rest for about 10 minutes. 

Remove the cover and place a flat large plate or tray on top of the pot, hold the tray in place with the palm of one hand then turn the pot with the tray upside down and leave for a few minutes. Slowly lift the pot off.  

Sprinkle with fried almond  and serve with yoghurt cucumber sauce.  

Arab Rice with Noodles: Ruz bil She'reya رز بالشعرية

Ruz bil She'reya is plain white rice mixed with golden-brown noodles. In most Arab countries this is the typical way rice is made when served as an accompaniment (e.g with stew or casserole). Ruz bil She'reya is also eaten liwith just yougurt (plain or with cucumber and mint) as a light meal.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1/2 cup She'reya  (vermicelli pasta)

50g butter and 2 tbspoon oil
11/2 tablespoon salt

3 cups rice washed and drained (ideally soaked for 10 minutes before cooking )

water according to the instruction on the package

On a medium heat, put the butter, oil and pasta  in a pot stir and cook until golden-brown, then add the washed and drained rice and stir well to coat in oil. Cover with boiling water, the water level should be about one fingers above the rice

.

Boil then reduce the heat when the water  reaches the level of the rice. Cover and leave to cook for about half an hour (if the rice was soaked, the cooking time should be less).

Herbed Rice with Coriander Seeds and Fish Fillets in a Cumin Marinade: Ruz Hoot bil Kusbur رز مع السمك

Ruz bil Kusbur is a strongly flavored rice with herbs and tomatoes, studded with crunchy coriander seeds. It is served with seafood, and traditionally cooked in a stock made from fish heads. The typical Libyan marinade for fish is based on cumin and garlic, sometimes with the addition of chillies. It is used for grilled and baked fish; but also to add zing to fried fish fillets, as in this recipe.

Despite Libya having one of the longest coastlines on the Mediterranean, with the majority of the population living in the coastal areas, lamb and chicken based dishes dominate the cuisine. Seafood is eaten regularly though, some favorite recipes being Haraimi (fish poached in a spicy tomato sauce), baked Faruj (grouper), stuffed squid, and small fried fish with potato stuffing (Mubattan Kawali). While sometimes eaten with bread, these seafood dishes are more often accompanied by Ruz  bil Hoot.

Serves 4-6

Herbed Rice with Coriander Seeds
3 cups short grain rice washed and well drained
about 6 cups hot fish stock (or 2 fish stock cubes dissolved in 6 cups hot water )
5 tbspoons corn oil 
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 finely chopped chili peppers
2-3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
1-2 tablespoons pan roasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of each, cumin,black pepper, paprika
2 tablespoons salt

Libyan Cumin and Garlic Marinated Fried Fish

6 White fish fillets (any kind)
vegetable oil for deep frying  

Marinade (also used for whole grilled or baked fish)
3-4 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tablespoon cumin
1 finely chopped chili pepper (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Juice of half a lemon


for fish coating 
5 tbspoon white flour  
5 tbspoons fine breadcrumbs

2-3 tbspoons water  

2 eggs

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade, put in food processor until it becomes a smooth paste, coat the fillets and set aside while you start cooking the rice. 

Put the oil in a thick base pot, add the chopped  ingredients, stir for a few minutes, and leave  to cook on low heat until the onion soften.

Meanwhile roast the coriander in a frying pan, preferably just before adding. Some like to grind them first, but whole coriander seeds give a nutty texture to the dish.

 Add the rice, the remaining spices, stir well and add the fish stock (or crumble stock cubes and add hot water). The stock should be about 2 fingers above the level of the rice. Leave on moderate heat until evaporated to just above the level of the rice, stir well, cover and leave on low heat for approx. half an hour.

Meanwhile, start frying the fish. Whisk the egg with 3tbspoon water, dip each fillet first in the egg mix, then coat both sides with flour and breadcrumbs mix, then deep fry in batches until golden in colour, place on kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Put the rice in serving plate, top with the fish fillets. Serve with haraymi sauce and lemon wedges