Omani Chicken Kabuli Rice

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 6 whole chicken legs (that means with the thigh)
• 3 cups basmati rice
• 3 sliced onions
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon whole cardamom pod, bruised
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorn
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 whole dried limes (loomi, peirced with a skewer in a few places)
• 1 tablespoon baharat spice mix (baharat aka middle east mixed spices - the real mix)
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• light tasting extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup golden raisin, soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almond
• 3 pinches dried lime powder (loomi in middle eastern shops usually found whole but > loomi powder (noomi basara, dried lime, black lemon, loomi aswad)
• sea salt, to taste
• cilantro leaf, to garnish (optional)

Recipe

• 1 wash basmati rice and soak 10 to more minutes depending on quality of rice.
• 2 wash whole chicken legs keeping the skin on. add to pot.
• 3 cover chicken pieces with water and bring to the boil skimming off the scum.
• 4 add whole spices including loomi as well as sea salt and boil for a further 40 minutes.
• 5 drain the chicken pieces keeping the chicken stock and shallow fry in a bit of light tasting extra virgin olive oil until golden brown.
• 6 fry sliced onion in the same oil until golden brown then remove half of them and keep aside for garnishing.
• 7 to the remaining onions in the pan, add tomato paste and baharat spice mix then add 6 cups of the chicken stock after straining. to that add the drained rice.
• 8 bring to a boil and reduce heat and cover for 10-20 minutes depending on amount, quality and quantity. (if it's a cheaper rice it will become softer faster so do 10 minutes and take off the heat 1 minute then check if done).
• 9 drain raisins then add to a pan with a bit of oil and fry along with the almonds until toasted. then add garnish onions & loomi powder.
• 10 put the rice on a plate and arrange chicken pieces on top, garnish with raisins, almonds and onion mixture and a few cilantro leaves if wished.
• 11 i serve it with a raita (yogurt salad) or daqoos (gulf arabian tomato sauce).
• 12 enjoy!