Kabsa Rice - Famous Saudi Chicken rice - Step by step

Kabsa rice is a traditional rice of  Arabia. Here chicken is cooked with the spices and removed at the end. Then the chicken is oven fried. At last the rice is served with chicken pieces and fried carrots and raisins.I bookmarked this at Geetha's space long back and in a Saudi television program video. So mixed both the methods to my taste. The main ingredients like chicken cube,dried lemon are a must in this recipe.  Chicken cube can be seen in all the grocery stores in "Hisponic " section. We have to dry the lemon for days in the sun to get a perfect dried lemon. But this is also available readily in Halal shops. We can either get store bought chicken broth or just make at homw. Just pressure cook some chicken pieces with bone, few onion cubes, few stems of cilantro, pepper corns ,garlic and 4 cups of water. Your chicken broth is ready, after discarding the chicken and other ingredients ,except the water. This dish is well worth trying . I am sure you will like it to the core. Because we loved it very well.

 

 

 Ingredients:

For grinding:

1.Pepper corns     -     1 tsp

2.Cinnamon         - 1/2 inch           

3.Cumin seeds     -  1 tsp

4.Cloves              -     5 to 6

5.Coriander seeds -  1 tsp

6.Cardamom          -    2

 

 

For the Rice:

0.Chicken Breast -    5 pieces or( 1 lb of chicken pieces)

1.Onion                -        1 (big sliced)

2.Tomato puree    -        2 tbsp

3.Garlic cloves     -         2 (big chopped)

4.Ginger               -          1/2 inch ( chopped

5.Chicken cube    -          2

6.Basmati rice      -          2 cups

7.Chicken broth   -          3 cups

8.Dried lemon     -          1

9.Carrot               -           1/2 cup (shredded)

10.Raisins            -           2 tbsp.

11.Oil                   -           1/4 cup

12.Salt                  -           as required

13.Water              -           1 cup

14.Ghee                -           for frying

15.Saffron             -           a pinch

16.Hot milk           -           1 tbsp

 

  

 

 

 

Method:

* Take the masala ingredients in a blender. Grind it into fine powder. Wash and soak basmati rice for atleast 20 minutes. Drain them well.Dissolve saffron strands in hot milk and keep it ready. It will take atleast 10 minutes for the saffron to give the colour.

 * Take a biriyani pan, add oil ,sauté the sliced onion . Just sprinkle some salt ,so that the onions get cooked well.

* Now add the chopped garlic and giner pieces. Saute them well .

 





 

* After the ginger and garlic pieces are cooked, add the chicken pieces. I have used chicken breasts. But you can also used chicken pieces.

 

*Pierce the dried lemon in 3 to 4 places using a pin. Saute the chicken well, till they are slightly sautéed. Now add tomato puree,dried lemon, half the grinded masala powder,dried lemon and half of grated carrot. At last add the saffron soaked milk to the pan.

 

* Let the masalas get infused in the chicken. The addition of masala powder depends on your taste. You can add more or less. But reserve some for rubbing it on the chicken in the final steps. Saute the chicken till it leaves out oil.

 



 

* Now pour the chicken broth, 1 cup of water and chicken cubes. Chicken cube has salt in it. So adjust salt to taste now.

* When the liquid starts to boil, remove the chicken breast or the chicken pieces from the pan. Now the chicken should have cooked well. If not cook the chicken for more time.

 

 

* Now preheat the oven at broil mode. Place the chicken breasts on a tray, lined with aluminium foil.

 

* Rub the chicken with the remaining  grounded masala powder in all its sides. Broil the chicken pieces 10 minutes each side, or until, the skin turns golden brown. Don't leave the chicken for long, then it will become hard. If you are using, small chicken pieces, we also fry them after rubbing them with the masala on  a pan, with little oil. This step can be adapted by people ,who doesn't have oven.

 

 

* Now add drained basmati rice to the pan and cook with the dried lemon and liquid.

 

* Cover the pan and let it cook in medium heat. This may take around 20 minutes in medium heat. Every rice cooks differently. So check for the time. The rice should not be mushy, it should be separated . You can use a biriyani pan as I have or a cooker works fine.

* Mean while add ghee in a pan, and fry the shredded carrots and raisins till golden brown and keep it ready. Now the chicken and rice would have been ready. At last discard the lemon .

 

* Take a serving plate, place the cooked rice first. Then place the broiled chicken and garnish with fried raisins and  carrots. Serve with raitha.