Kabsa is a mixed rice dish originated in yemen. It has rice cooked with tomatoes, dried lime and spices which is then topped with a grilled chicken. It is a popular arab recipe.
Kabsa Recipe
Arab Kabsa is one recipe which was requested so many time in my blog. And i have never tasted that before. I referred lots of videos and browsed a lot about it and decided to give it a go. It tasted pretty good too.
Table of Contents
About Kabsa
Kabsa is a mixed rice dish, served on a communal platter, that originates from Yemen but is commonly regarded as a national dish in all the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. It can also be found served in countries such as South of Iran, Israel and India too.
These dishes are usually made with rice (usually basmati), meat, vegetables, and a mixture of spices. There are many kinds of kabsa and each kind has a uniqueness about it.
Kabsa Mandi Recipe
Pre-mixed kabsa spices are now available under several brand names. These reduce preparation time, but may have a flavor distinct from traditional kabsa. The spices used in kabsa are largely responsible for its taste; these are generally black pepper, cloves, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, black lime, bay leaves and nutmeg.
The main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat. The meats used are usually chicken, goat, lamb, camel, beef, fish or shrimp. In chicken machbūs, a whole chicken is used.
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Kabsa Ingredients
These are the ingredients which you need for making kabsa. Very basic and very easy ingredients which you might already have on hand.
The main flavouring for this comes from tomatoes, chicken, baharat spice mix and the rice. So use a good quality rice and cook the chicken as mentioned. I used my homemade baharat spice mix. You can either make it your own or buy from shop. I have given the recipe for that spice mix in this post too, even though i have shared it as a separate post.
The main flavouring for kabsa rice is dried lemon and the baharat spice mix. This is how you make homemade baharat spice mix.
For Baharat Spice Mix:
Take all the ingredients except ginger powder in a pan and roast on low heat till golden.Add in ginger powder and saute for 20 more sec.Now let them cool a bit, add it in a blender and powder it finely.Spread on a paper and let them cool a bit.Store in a air tight container.
Cinnamon / Pattai - 5 cm piece
Dry Red Chilli - 8
Kashmiri Dry Red Chilli - 8
Cardamom / Yelakai - 10
Cloves / Krambu - 10
Whole Coriander Seeds / Malli - 1 tblspn
Dry Red Chilli - 8
Kashmiri Dry Red Chilli - 8
Cardamom / Yelakai - 10
Cloves / Krambu - 10
Whole Coriander Seeds / Malli - 1 tblspn
Nutmeg - 1 tblspn
Whole Black Pepper - 2 tblspn
Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - 1 tblspn
Dry Ginger Powder / Chukku Podi - 1 tblspn
Whole Black Pepper - 2 tblspn
Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - 1 tblspn
Dry Ginger Powder / Chukku Podi - 1 tblspn
Arab Kabsa Preparation
- Wash and soak basmati rice for 1 hour. Soak almonds in hot water till use.
- Heat a large pan with oil. Add in onions, garlic and salt. Saute for 2 mins or so.
- Now add in chicken skin side down and sear it for 10 mins on each side..
- Add in tomatoes, baharat, tomato puree, whole spices, orange zest and mix well. Now add in water and mix well. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 mins till the chicken is cooked completely.
- Now preheat oven to 250 degree C. Set oven to grill or broil mode.Line a baking tray with foil and grease it well with oil.
- Now remove the cooked chicken from the mix and arrange it skin side up on a baking tray. Sprinkle the top with some more baharat and drizzle some oil over it and pop it into the oven and grill for 5 mins or so till the skin is crispy.
- Heat some 2 tblspn ghee in a pan, add in carrots and saute it for 5 mins.
- Now add the drained basmati rice into the liquid, Add in sauted carrots and mix well. Cook on high heat till everything comes to a boil. Now cover with a tight lid or a foil and a lid and simmer it for 20 to 30 mins till the rice has absorbed all the liquid,
- Now peel off the almonds and slice it. heat some ghee in a pan, add in almonds and fry till golden. Add in kishmish and saute till golden.
- Once the rice is cooked, Fluff it with a fork. Cover and set aside for 30 mins.
- Spoon rice onto a serving plate, cover with broiled chicken and sprinkle with nuts.
- Serve.
Hope you will give this a try and let me know how it turns out for you.
If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.
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Kabsa | Kabsa Rice Recipe | Kabsa Chicken | Kabsa Biryani Recipe
Kabsa is a mixed rice dish originated in yemen. It has rice cooked with tomatoes, dried lime and spices which is then topped with a grilled chicken. It is a popular arab recipe.
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- Basmati Rice - 3 cups
- Chicken - 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces with skin on
- Oil - ¼ cup
- Onion - 2 large chopped finely
- Garlic - 3 tblspn finely chopped
- Tomatoes - 4 large chopped finely
- Baharat Spice Mix - 4 to 6 tblspn
- Tomato paste - 3 tblspn
- Orange Zest - 2 tblspn
- Ghee - 2 tblspn
- Carrot - 1 medium size grated
- Salt to taste
- Water - 4.5 cups
Whole Spices:
- Cinnamon / Pattai - 4 cm piece
- Bay Leaf - 3
- Cardamom / Yelakai - 6
- Cloves / Krambu - 6
- Dried Lime - 1
For Topping:
- Ghee - 4 tblspn
- Almonds - ½ cup
- Kishmish / Sultanas - ¼ cup
For Baharat Spice Mix:
- Cinnamon / Pattai - 5 cm piece
- Dry Red Chilli - 8
- Kashmiri Dry Red Chilli - 8
- Cardamom / Yelakai - 10
- Cloves / Krambu - 10
- Whole Coriander Seeds / Malli - 1 tblspn
- Nutmeg - 1 tblspn
- Whole Black Pepper - 2 tblspn
- Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - 1 tblspn
- Dry Ginger Powder / Chukku Podi - 1 tblspn
Instructions
For Baharat Spice Mix:
- Take all the ingredients except ginger powder in a pan and roast on low heat till golden.Add in ginger powder and saute for 20 more sec.Now let them cool a bit, add it in a blender and powder it finely.Spread on a paper and let them cool a bit.Store in a air tight container.
For Kabsa:
- Wash and soak basmati rice for 1 hour. Soak almonds in hot water till use.
- Heat a large pan with oil. Add in onions, garlic and salt. Saute for 2 mins or so.
- Now add in chicken skin side down and sear it for 10 mins on each side..
- Add in tomatoes, baharat, tomato puree, whole spices, orange zest and mix well. Now add in water and mix well. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 mins till the chicken is cooked completely.
- Now preheat oven to 250 degree C. Set oven to grill or broil mode.Line a baking tray with foil and grease it well with oil.
- Now remove the cooked chicken from the mix and arrange it skin side up on a baking tray. Sprinkle the top with some more baharat and drizzle some oil over it and pop it into the oven and grill for 5 mins or so till the skin is crispy.
- Heat some 2 tblspn ghee in a pan, add in carrots and saute it for 5 mins.
- Now add the drained basmati rice into the liquid, Add in sauted carrots and mix well. Cook on high heat till everything comes to a boil. Now cover with a tight lid or a foil and a lid and simmer it for 20 to 30 mins till the rice has absorbed all the liquid,
- Now peel off the almonds and slice it. heat some ghee in a pan, add in almonds and fry till golden. Add in kishmish and saute till golden.
- Once the rice is cooked, Fluff it with a fork. Cover and set aside for 30 mins.
- Spoon rice onto a serving plate, cover with broiled chicken and sprinkle with nuts.
- Serve.
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Kabsa with Step by Step Photos
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| Take all your ingredients |
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| Soak rice for 1 hour |
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| Take almonds in a bowl |
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| cover with hot water and let it soak |
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| Heat oil in a big pot |
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| add in onions |
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| garlic |
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| season with some salt |
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| saute lightly |
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| now it has turned light golden |
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| place chicken skin side down. |
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| Sear it and flip over |
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| add in tomatoes |
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| mix well |
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| add in baharat |
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| tomato paste |
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| add in whole spices |
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| add in orange zest |
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| mix well and cook for few more mins |
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| Add in water |
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| Mix well.. |
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| Bring it to a boil |
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| cover and simmer for 30 to 40 mins till chicken is done |
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| While chicken is cooking, i peeled almonds |
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| Sliced it like this |
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| Now the chicken is done |
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| remove it from the pot |
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| arrange it in a foil lined baking tray..I greased the foil with some oil |
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| sprinkle the top of chicken with baharat spice mix |
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| drizzle top with oil |
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| Put it under broil mode and grill it for few mins till golden |
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| Heat ghee in a pan |
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| add in carrots |
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| saute till golden |
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| add in drained rice |
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| add in grated carrots |
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| Mix well.. |
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| cover with foil |
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| place a plate on top and cook on a low heat till it is done |
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| Now heat ghee in a pan, add almonds in |
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| fry till golden |
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| once it gets golden, add sultanas in |
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| fry lightly |
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| Now the chicken is well browned as well |
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| now the rice is cooked |
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| Take a serving plate |
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| spoon the rice in it |
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| place chicken |
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| scatter with nuts |
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| Serve |
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Anonymous
Do something lot of issues while opening your site ...
Anonymous
Ur recipes are great but I agree it's difficult to access the site! Please do something about it if u can, thanks for all the hard work Aarthi!
Subi
The original recipe has the chicken skin on and very less spice as they eat it with raw green chili . Haven't you added the dried lime..
Aarthi
@Subi i didn't have dried lime so i didn't add it. but i have mentioned dried lime in the written part/
Unknown
Made this and it came out really good. Thanks for the recipe
Veera
any alternAtive for grilling???
Aarthi
you can pan fry it.
divinity
In which stage should we add dried lime ??
divinity
In which stage should we add dries lime ?
Anonymous
what is orange zest is it must?
Anonymous
Hi arthi sister,
Please can u teach me the achari chicken recipe
Stranger
How can we do the same in vegetarian way? Can we use Paneer?
Aarthi
you can try, but not sure of the taste.
Geeta Sharma
So delicious I love it, I have an doubt which mutton curry is good in your website please suggest me
Raj
It is so delicious, I have one doubt which mutton curry is so tasty in your website. Please suggest me*
Aarthi
Try mutton chops and mutton masala
Poornima shanmugam
Your blog is very user friendly thank you for your great job. I am in Taiwan now. I try to meet you when I come to india. Both kutties are made your vlog actively yes I follow too your vlog.
Sindhu
I tried this recipe today and it came out so perfectly. We live in the gulf and it’s the exact taste as they make it in Arabic homes.. Thank you so much for this detailed explanation.
suhail
kabsa is palestinian so not sure why the article says Israel.