Popular Rice Dishes of the Middle East and North Africa
Rice is King in the Middle East! We
Middle Easterners love our rice! Like our friends farther east, from
India all the way to Japan, we love rice! Arabs pride themselves in
producing light, fluffy rice, with a nutty and rich flavor, well
seasoned enough to stand on its own. We love to serve mounds of fluffy
white rice, warmly plain or spiced with the flavors of allspice,
turmeric, cinnamon or nutmeg, topped with buttery pine nuts or almonds fried in ghee.
Mujadarrah- The Levant
Mjedarrah or mujadarrah is
an ancient meatless dish that is hugely popular throughout the Arab
world, fragrantly spiced rice (but not spicy) with lentil beans combined
with sweet crunchy onion and (optional) topped with nuts or raisins.
Each region or even nation of the Arab countries have their own version
but this dish is most popular or common in the Levant region (Lebanon,
Palestine, Syria and Jordan). Mjedarrah is also known as Koshary in Egypt.
Mansaf - Jordan
Mansaf
is a traditional -Jordanian dish made of lamb cooked in a sauce of
fermented dried yogurt and served with rice or bulgur. It is the
national dish of Jordan and it is also common in Palestine, Iraq, Syria,
and Saudi Arabia. The name of the dish comes from the term "large tray"
or "large dish". Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan.
Mandi -Yemen
Mandi is a traditional Yemeni dish from Hadhramaut, Yemen. The word "mandi" comes from the Arabic word nada, meaning "dew", and reflects the moist 'dewy' texture of the meat. Mandi
is usually made from rice, meat (lamb or chicken), and a mixture of
spices. The main thing which differentiates mandi is that the meat is
cooked in the tandoor (taboon in Hadhrami), which is a special
kind of oven. The tandoor is usually a hole dug in the ground and
covered inside by clay. To cook mandi, dry wood is placed in the tandoor
and burned to generate a lot of heat turning into charcoal. The meat is
then suspended inside the tandoor without touching the charcoal. After
that, the whole tandoor is closed without letting any of the smoke out.
Raisins, pine nuts, or peanuts can be added to the rice as per one's
taste. Mandi is considered the main dish served during special events,
such as Eid, weddings, and feasts.
Makloobah - Palestine
Makloobah
or Maqlubah is the national dish of Palestine and also a traditional
dish in Jordan. The dish includes meat, rice, and fried vegetables
placed in a pot, which is then flipped upside down when served , hence
the name maqluba, which translates literally as "upside-down". The dish
can include a variety of vegetables, such as fried tomatoes, potatoes,
cauliflower, eggplant, and chicken or lamb. When the casserole is
inverted, the top is bright red from the tomatoes that now form the top
layer and cover the golden eggplant. Maqluba is usually served with
either yogurt or a simple Arab salad (salata Arabia) of diced tomato,
cucumber, parsley, and lemon juice, often mixed with a tahina sauce.
Sayadiyah - The Levant
Sayadieh
is fish and rice dish from the Levant. The rice is cooked in a fish
broth with spices and fried onions that give the rice its typical brown
color. It is topped with fish pieces and garnished with fried almonds,
pine nuts and sliced crispy fried onions.
Kabsah - Saudi Arabia
Kabsa
is a family of rice dishes that are served mostly in Saudi Arabia —
where it is commonly regarded as a national dish — and the other Arab
states of the Gulf. Kabsa, though, is believed to be indigenous
to Yemen. In places like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain
and Kuwait the dish is popularly known as machbūs, but is served mostly in the same way
Machboos - Gulf region
Machboos
is a popular rice and meat dish in Kuwait and other gulf countries.
Machboos is similar to Biryani (from the Indian subcontinent) and Kabsa
(from Saudi Arabia), all with varying cooking methods, ingredients,
degree of spiciness, and assembly.
Muhammar - Bahrain
Muhammar is
a traditional dish from Bahrain. It is a sweet, rice dish that imbued
with spices and date palm. Usually eaten with fried or grilled fish. The
rice is parboiled and then steamed. Caramelized sugar syrup gives the rice it's color and sweetness.
Bukhari Rice - Saudi Arabia
Bukhari
Rice or Ruz al Bukhari is a very popular recipe in the Middle East,
especially loved in the Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, Bukhari Rice is
an aromatic and flavorful rice dish that features numerous spices and
has an interesting origin.
Basmati Rice Pilaf
A
staple and simple rice dish of the Middle East. Rice pilaf is usually
spiced (but not spicy) and various nuts and raisins are added to the
rice depending on the region of the Middle East. Lebanese Rice Pilaf is
made with vermicelli noodles toasted in clarified (rendered) butter.
Spicy Moroccan Rice
Spicy Moroccan rice -cooked with Moroccan spice seasonings- comes in different varieties with or without meats.
Arabic Rice Stuffing
Arabic-style
rice stuffing is an easy dish that is used for chicken, lamb or turkey
stuffing. It is also served as a side dish with traditional Arabic
roasted leg of lamb or roasted chicken pieces. The rice stuffing is a
also a great standalone dish and is usually made with ground lamb (or
beef) and a variety of spices.
Ouzi (Baked Lamb and Rice)
Ouzi
is a favorite Arabic rice and meat dish which consists of rice, peas,
slow roasted or baked lamb (or minced lamb meat) with an assortment of
spices, raisins and toasted nuts.
Arabic Biryani
Biryani
is an extremely popular Indian spicy rice dish. The Arabic version have
less or no chilies and therefore not as spicy. While similar cooked
meat and rice dishes (i.e. Maqluba, Kabsa) are common in the Middle
East, Biryani in the region likely has roots in the longstanding
merchant and cultural ties between the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq with
South Asia. Thus, Biryani is more typically found in places like Iraq,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE and Oman.
Qabuli pulao (Afghani Rice)
Qabuli
pulao is the most popular dish in Afghanistan, and is considered the
national dish. It is a made by cooking basmati or long grained rice in a
brothy sauce (which makes the rice brown). This dish may be made with
lamb, chicken, or beef. Qabuli Palau is baked in the oven and topped
with fried sliced carrots and raisins. Chopped nuts like pistachios or
almonds may be added as well. The meat is covered by the rice or buried
in the middle of the dish.
Persian Tah-Dig Rice
Tahdig is a specialty of Iranian cuisine consisting of crisp rice taken from the bottom of the pot in which the rice (chelow) is cooked. It is traditionally served to guests at a meal. Ingredients
commonly added to Tahdig include yogurt and saffron, bread, potato and
tomato. Variations of Tahdig include placing thin vegetable slices at
the bottom of the pot, so they crisp up instead of the rice. Common
vegetables include potato, carrots, and lettuce. Iranians also apply
this crisping method to spaghetti as well, providing a hardened base.