The World Cook

Saudi Arabia

Group A | Asia

Al Kabsa

Considered the benchmark team in the Middle East, the Saudis, nicknamed The Falcons, sure have an eye for a good meal.

Mixing sweet and savory, chicken & rice has never had such range. Taken from Martha Stewart this Saudi national dish is popular in many countries in the region, and just might qualify as one of yours too.

Time 1hr 40mins
Makes 4
Difficulty Professional
Units Imperial Metric

Ingredients

250 g Plain yogurt
1 cup

250 g

Plain yogurt
2 tbsp Parsley
2 tbsp

2 tbsp

Parsley finely chopped
a pinch Cayenne pepper
a pinch

a pinch

Cayenne pepper
1 Lemon
1

1

Lemon
4 Chicken thighs
4

4

Chicken thighs
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp

1 tbsp

Olive oil
1 Onion
1

1

Onion diced
2 Cloves of garlic
2

2

Cloves of garlic minced
1 Carrot
1

1

Carrot shredded
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp

1 tsp

Cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp

1 tsp

Ground coriander
½ tsp Tumeric
½ tsp

½ tsp

Tumeric
2 Tomatoes
2

2

Tomatoes roughly chopped
2 tbsp Tomato paste
2 tbsp

2 tbsp

Tomato paste
600ml Chicken stock
2 ½ cups

600ml

Chicken stock
4 Caradmom pods
4

4

Caradmom pods crushed
2 Whole cloves
2

2

Whole cloves cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks
2

2

Cinnamon sticks
2 Bay leaves
2

2

Bay leaves
1 Orange
1

1

Orange
200g Rice
1 ½ cups

200g

Rice
450ml Safflower oil
2 cups

450ml

Safflower oil
60g Almonds
½ cup

60g

Almonds
60g Raisins
½ cup

60g

Raisins

1

Start by making the lemon yogurt sauce. Mix the yogurt, parsley, and cayenne along with the juice and zest of the lemon.
2

Preheat the oven to 375°F200°C. Meanwhile season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. On a high setting, heat the olive oil in a pan and seal the chicken on all sides. Remove when done.
3

In the same pan, add the onion, garlic, carrot, cumin, coriander and tumeric. Cook for around 5 minutes.
4

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay-leaves along with the zest and juice of the orange. Season with salth and pepper and add the chicken and transfer the pot to the oven for 25 minutes.
5

Remove the pot from the oven and move the chicken to a lined baking sheet. Reduce the oven to 275°F135°C and place the chicken back in the oven.
6

Return the pan with the cooking liquid in it to the stove and bring to a simmer. Add the rice, cover and continue to simmer for 20 minutes

Coach's tip Keep an eye on the cardomom pods, as you may want to remove them before serving.

Coach's tip Keep an eye on the cardomom pods, as you may want to remove them before serving.
7

Meanwhile bring the safflower oil to a medium heat in a small pan. Add the almonds and cook until golden brown, roughly 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to dry on paper towels.
8

In the same oil, fry the raisins. They will cook quickly, remove from oil when they puff up and begin to brown. Remove the chicken from the oven, serve over rice and top with raisins, almonds and the yogurt sauce.