Passport & Plate - Maqluba (meaning “upside down” in Arabic)
Palestine | Thursday, February 19, 2015 | 6 photos
Ingredients
- chicken
- long-grain rice
- yogurt
- toasted almonds
- eggplant
- white onion
- oil
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
How to prepare this recipe- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant slices on each side to lightly brown. Remove to a plate.
- Add more oil to the skillet if needed and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the chicken, almonds, lamb, salt and pepper.
- Grease a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan well with olive oil or butter. Drain the rice.
- Spoon the chicken mixture over the rice. Lay the eggplant slices to cover the chicken.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high flame, then quickly reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 45-50 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot and bon appétit !
The story behind this recipeI tasted this recipe for the first and only time when I was an International Relations student interning in an peace organization in Jerusalem in August 2009.
I met a Palestinian taxi driver who gave me a tour of different cities of the West Bank for a few days. As we became friends, he invited me to eat Maqluba at his family's house up the hill overlooking the West Bank. I will never forget this meal because this seven-person family was so generous although they did not have much.
See the blog published here: http://www.pij.org/details.php?blog=1&id=75
