Kabsa (Spiced Chicken And Rice With Almonds And Raisins) Recipe

3.7 from 3 ratings

When I was young and we had guests coming over, one of the dishes my mum always made was kabsa. Serving platters loaded with spicy golden rice and chicken topped with almonds and raisins would take center stage on the table. My part in it was to chop the tomatoes, slice the peppers, and grate the carrots. You can say I was mum’s sous chef. Kabsa or kabseh is one of the traditional dishes served in the Arabian Gulf area. It is a unique mixture of rice (has to be long grain and you can use basmati), meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, or even camel), spices, and vegetables topped with nuts and raisins. The secret to kabsa’s identity and taste is the blend of spices used in it: black pepper, allspice, cloves, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, black lime, bay leaves, and nutmeg are some of the spices that lend their magic to make kabsa a special and memorable dish. I am sharing my own kabsa recipe which is mildly adjusted from my mum’s, and she makes awesome kabsa. I urge you to give it a try as is and from there you can adjust the spices, change the vegetables, and make the recipe your own.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

one 3- to 5-pound chicken, quartered
2 bay leaves
6 -7 whole allspice berries or ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 -5 whole cardamom pods or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 white or yellow onion, quartered
2 cup basmati rice
4 -5 tablespoons olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 -3 tomatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1 dried lime (loomi)*
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon salt
oil, for frying
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup raisins

Directions

Place the chicken in a pressure cooker and add enough water until the level is about 1-inch above the chicken. Add the bay leaves, allspice berries, cinnamon, cardamom, and onion. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, cover, and seal. Cook for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Drain and reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid.**
Wash the rice 4-5 times, discarding the water every time. Drain and set aside. In a pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until almost translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
Add the carrot and bell pepper and stir for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes are soft and begin to break down, about 5-10 minutes. Add the ground allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, dried lime, bay leaves, salt, and rice. Stir for 2 more minutes.
Add 4 cups of the reserved liquid from the chicken. Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice absorbs all of the liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and fluff the rice with a fork.
Heat about 1-inch oil in a pot or frying pan over medium heat until an almond dropped into the oil sizzles immediately. Fry the almonds and raisins separately for about 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving the oil.
Serve garnished with the fried almonds and raisins. Drizzle the reserved oil over the kabsa to add a dose of extra almond-raisin flavor.