Recipe: Celebrate Qatar's National Day with Machboos, Qatar’s national dish
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Recipe: Celebrate Qatar's National Day with Machboos, Qatar’s national dish

The rich and flavoursome rice dish, Machboos, is the national dish of Qatar. Its depth of flavour comes from a combination of aromatic spices that produce a smoky taste. Served with a variety of meats, the dish is a favourite across the Arabian Sea.

Chef Noor Al Mazroei Recipe

Ingredients:

(Serves 2 / Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time approximately 1 hour)

  • 1 chicken

  • 2 cups of Basmati rice

  • Half a cup of white onion, cubed

  • Half a cup of tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • A quarter of a cup of chopped parsley

  • 1 tablespoon of grated garlic

  • 1 tablespoon of grated ginger

  • 2 green hot peppers

  • 4 tablespoons of Qatari bazaar (spice mix)

  • 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Qatari Bazaar:

(Can be use for 10 -15 Recipe / Keep in airtight jar and use as required)

  • 1 cup of cumin seeds

  • 1 cup of coriander seeds

  • ½ cup of black lemon ground

  • ½ cup of ginger powder

  • ½ cup of cinnamon powder

  • ½ cup turmeric powder

  • ½ cup ground black pepper

  • Tablespoon ground saffron

Method of mixing Qatari Bazaar:

  1. Roast cumin and coriander until brown

  2. Grind and mix well with the remaining ingredients until all spices are blended

  3. Remove from grinder into a container until use

Method:

  1. Prepare your ingredients: Chop the onion, combine ginger, garlic and hot peppers in one bowl

  2. Wash rice before soaking in water for an hour

  3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high flame and add correct spice, Qatari Bazaar, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, green pepper, lemon, salt and leave until the mixture blends and withers completely

  4. Cut chicken in half and add into the pot until the mixture has turned the chicken red on both sides

  5. Add 3 cups of boiling water and reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes

  6. Remove the chicken from the water, put it in an oven tray and cook on 190 °C / 170 Fan / 375°F for 10 minutes

  7. Remove half of the water from the pot before adding rice and leave it on a low boil for 10 minutes until rice is cooked and has absorbed the liquid. Stir every 5 minutes

  8. Transfer the chicken and rice to a serving dish


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