Ramadan Iftar Recipes | Tasty Food from Kuwait

Briyani-like rice dishes are popular in the Arabian Gulf states. From the Omani briyani to the Kuwaiti briyani (called the Mechbous) to the red-hued ruzz bhukari, the brown-tinged sayyadiyyah, mashkul, mandi and kabsa.

For today's Ramadan Iftar recipe, we turn to Kuwait for the delicious rice dish called the Mechbous. The dried limes, cloves and cinnamon sticks give this popular Kuwaiti rice dish a lovely zesty taste!

Kuwaiti Chicken Mechbous

Ramadan Iftar Recipe:
Kuwaiti Chicken Mechbous

Ingredients:

Chicken
Salt
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
2 or 3 whole cloves
5 black peppercorns
Flour
3 cups basmati rice (or other short-grained rice)
Onion-spice topping (hashu):
2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
¼ cup golden raisins, soaked in water
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. dried black lime (loomi), or ½ tsp. lime zest**
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. sugar
Tomato sauce (duqqus):
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tb. tomato paste

Method:

1) Rinse chicken inside and out. Place in a stockpot with enough water to cover. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil uncovered over medium heat until chicken is done (approximately 40 minutes). Remove and drain the chicken, reserving broth.

2) Drain fat off the top of the broth and strain broth to remove spices. Prepare three cups of basmati rice according to package directions, using broth from chicken instead of water. Add salt if necessary.

3) While rice is cooking, cook onions in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until clear. Sprinkle with a little water and stir quickly until onions are brown and the water has evaporated. Stir in oil, draineraisins, and spices. Cook for one minute. Remove mixture from skillet and set aside.

4) Lightly dust the boiled, drained chicken with flour. In a clean skillet over medium-high heat, brown the chicken, turning frequently, until the outside is brown and crispy.

Preparing for Community Iftar in Kuwait

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