Upside-Down Spiced Rice with Chicken and Roasted Cauliflower
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking.
The same layered, turned-out spiced rice and chicken as the classic aubergine maqluba, made here with sweet roasted cauliflower florets in place of the aubergine. Topped with toasted nuts and served with yoghurt.
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Method
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Equipment
- large saucepan
- sieve
- 2 large baking trays
- baking paper
- pastry brush
- heavy nonstick pot with straight sides and a lid (24-26 cm wide, at least 5 litres)
- heatproof plate a little smaller than the pot
- large flat serving platter wider than the pot
- small frying pan
- clean tea towel
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 618 kcal |
| Protein | 37.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 68.2 g |
| of which sugars | 6.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 21.9 g |
| of which saturates | 3.9 g |
| Fibre | 5.3 g |
| Salt | 1.94 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 6 servings
Chicken and broth
- 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, halved
- 1 l water
- 1 medium onion, halved about 150 g
- 4 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 4.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¾ tsp
Cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower, cut into 4 cm florets about 700 g trimmed
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
Rice
- 400 g basmati or other long-grain rice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 large tomato, cut into 1 cm slices
To serve
- 30 g flaked almonds
- 20 g pine nuts
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 300 g plain whole-milk yoghurt, to serve
- 1
Make the broth. This follows the classic maqluba method, swapping the aubergine rounds for roasted cauliflower. Put the chicken, water, onion, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cumin and salt in the large saucepan, bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (74 °C). Lift out the chicken, strain the broth and keep 750 ml hot, adding water if you are short.
- 2
Prepare the rice. Rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs almost clear, soak it in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain. Toss it with the cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, pepper, salt and garlic so every grain is coated in spice. Washing away the excess starch is what keeps the grains distinct after the long steam.
- 3
Roast the cauliflower. While the chicken cooks, heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Toss the cauliflower with the oil and salt, spread it on the lined trays in one layer and roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once, until deep golden at the edges and just tender. High heat browns the florets and brings out a nutty sweetness that boiled cauliflower never has.
- 4
Layer the pot. Oil the inside base of the pot with a brush, then fit a circle of baking paper over it. Arrange the tomato slices over the base, followed by an overlapping layer of cauliflower and then the chicken. Spread the rice evenly over the top and press down lightly so the layers knit together.
- 5
Pour and weigh down. Pour the hot broth in slowly so it settles about 1 cm above the rice, then set the heatproof plate on top. The plate stops the rice floating and keeps the cauliflower layer from shifting.
- 6
Steam until tender. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the plate, cover once more and cook on the lowest heat for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
- 7
Rest, then nuts. Off the heat, put the tea towel under the lid and leave for 15 minutes so the layers firm up and hold together. In the meantime, fry the almonds and pine nuts in the oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until golden.
- 8
Flip and serve. Take off the lid, place the platter upside down over the pot and, gripping both with oven gloves, turn them over in one quick movement. After 2 minutes, tap the base, ease the pot away and peel off the paper. Finish with the nuts and parsley and serve with the yoghurt.
Storage
Cool quickly, refrigerate within 1 hour and use within 24 hours. Reheat once, covered, until piping hot (74 °C). Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
