DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
Mohammad Alyaqoub
Professor Boyles – ENG 107
11/28/2016
Machboos chicken
Kuwait cuisine is a mix of Arabian, Persian, Indian, and Mediterranean. We use a lot of Indian spices in our rice. The most famous and important dish in Kuwait’s cuisine is Machboos , which is usually prepared with basmati rice and spices. You can prepare Machboos with your choice of protein; beef, chicken, or fish. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Kuwaitis used to ship pearls and trade them with India. Back then, our ancestors were influenced by Indian food and their spices. Because they were inspired by the Indian spices, they created the Machboos dish, which became the most traditional and important dish in Kuwait.
In this essay, I will focus in Machboos chicken, which consist of three parts, cooked chicken, basmati rice with raisins, with the special kuwaiti tomato sauce (dakos) on the side. Kuwait’s often eat Machboos chicken 2-3 times a week. They also eat it in special occasions, like Ramadan and Eid Alfitr. In Ramadan, we fast from the sunrise to sunset, so, after hours of fasting, Kuwait’s loves to start with a delicious Machboos chicken for the main dish.Also in our wedding, the most important thing in the buffet was Machboos chicken. The first restaurants that opened in Kuwait sold Machboos chicken and Machboos lamb. In our national day, most people have Machboos Chicken and lamb for lunch.The reason I chose Machboos chicken is because it is very special to me. Every Saturday, we have big family meetings, which is mostly comprised of machboos chicken or lamb as a main dish. My whole family knows how important this meal is to me.
One of the most difficulties I face here in the US is food. In terms of cooking, I am not that good. Thus, I always eat Mexican or American food which is not comparable to the Kuwaiti cuisine, in my opinion. I truly miss my mother’s cooking. My mother used to cook a very delicious Machboos chicken. When I came back from school, I used to smell the Machboos from the door and I felt so happy.
My recipe fits in three of the four Pollan categories of transformation, which are fire, water and earth. Fire is the most essential source of cooking; without it, we can’t cook Machboos or any kind of hot dishes. We used fire to cook the chicken until it becomes red. Without fire, the chicken will be raw and we will be unable to eat it. We also used water to boil the rice. If we don’t boil the rice, it will be rough and it can’t be chewed. Water and fire is like magic; they change uneatable food to extremely delicious. We can’t forget our mother nature, which is earth. Most of the Machboos ingredients comes from earth, for instance, cardamom. Cardamom grows in Indian forests. Another example saffron, which comes from a plant called crocus. Also, bay leaves are used as a main spice in our traditional machboos, which comes from Bay laurel. I believe that God provides us with these resources, like water and fire for a special reason, which is to use them in our daily life. Human discovered and learned how to use them in the right way. The deliciousness of our food could be elevated by using these resources. That what makes us different than animals like Pollan said in his series Cooked.
The video below directs people who are studying abroad on how to cook Machboos. In the video, Kuwaiti students did it for beginners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FpO3-DN0bk
Prep time 15 min - Cook time 2-hours - Total time 2 hours and 15 min - Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
3 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup dried split peas
1/2 tsp saffron
1/4 cup rose-water
For the Chicken
2 lb chicken
1 onion cut into quarters
4-6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
1 dried lime
2-4 bay leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
For the Stuffing
2 tbsp. canola oil
2onions chopped
1tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried lime
1/4 cup golden raisins
Salt
For the Sauce
4 tomatoes (diced)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
Instructions
1. First you must wash the rice and soak it for 1 hour
2. Place the saffron in bowel and pour rose water and set it a side
3. Clean the chicken and put it in a large pot filled with water and add to it salt, cinnamon, cardamom, dried lime, bay leaves, turmeric and cloves and then close the pot and place it in fire tell the chicken is cooked.
4. When the chicken is cooked take it out of the stock and leave the stock a side we will use it later.
5. Place the split peas alone in a saucepan and cover it with water until its tender but not mushy
6. Wash the raisins and add it to the split peas and all the spice and cook it for few minutes
7. For the sauce put garlic and diced tomatoes and add water, salt, pepper cayenne and past and cook for 10 min in mid-low heat.
8. In pan put some oil and fry the chicken to make it crispy
9. At last in a large pot add the rice and for each cup of rice add ½ cup of the stock then cover it and cook on low heat so the rice will take the taste and the smell of the stock. When the rice is, half way done mix it with saffron and recover. When the rice is done and no water left put the rice in plate and place the chicken over it and serve the sauce a side.
Work cited
Recipe:More explantion about Machboos chicken
suace and prep: More explantion about the suace and prep
video: helpful video about the Machboos chicken forbeginners
