Saudi Kabsa Aromatic Rice (Printer-Friendly)

Fragrant Saudi Kabsa with tender meat, aromatic spices, golden raisins, and toasted almonds.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meat

01 - 2.2 lbs bone-in lamb or chicken pieces
02 - 1 tbsp vegetable oil
03 - 1 large onion, finely sliced
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Spices

05 - 2 tsp ground cumin
06 - 2 tsp ground coriander
07 - 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
08 - 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
09 - 1 tsp ground turmeric
10 - 1 tsp ground cardamom
11 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves
12 - 1/2 tsp ground allspice
13 - 2 dried bay leaves
14 - 1 dried black lime (loomi), pierced (optional)

→ Vegetables

15 - 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
16 - 1 medium carrot, grated

→ Rice

17 - 3 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked 20 minutes
18 - 5 cups chicken or lamb stock

→ Garnishes

19 - 1/2 cup golden raisins
20 - 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
21 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
22 - Salt, to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until golden brown.
02 - Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Incorporate the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 8 minutes.
03 - Mix in all ground spices, bay leaves, and dried black lime if using; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
04 - Add chopped tomatoes and grated carrot, cooking for 4 to 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
05 - Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes if using chicken, or 60 minutes for lamb, until the meat is tender.
06 - Carefully remove the meat pieces from the pot and keep warm.
07 - Stir the soaked basmati rice and salt into the remaining broth.
08 - Nestle the meat pieces back into the pot atop the rice, then scatter golden raisins evenly over the surface.
09 - Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes until the rice is fluffy and the liquid is completely absorbed.
10 - Discard bay leaves and black lime. Gently fluff the rice with a fork, transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with toasted almonds and chopped parsley if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The whole pot becomes a celebration in itself—tender meat falling from bone, rice absorbing every whisper of spice, and you're the one who made it happen.
  • It feels fancy enough for your best dinner guests but comes together in less than two hours, leaving you calm instead of stressed.
02 -
  • If you skip soaking the rice, it breaks apart and becomes gluey—I learned this the hard way and ended up with rice mush that tasted perfect but looked defeated.
  • The moment you pour in the stock is the moment you stop stirring—trust the simmer and resist opening the lid unless something smells actually burnt, because every peek lets heat escape.
03 -
  • If you have access to it, toasting your spices gently in a dry pan for thirty seconds before adding them to the onions takes the complexity from good to unforgettable.
  • The quality of your stock matters more than any other ingredient because there's nowhere for weak flavor to hide—if it tastes like nothing by itself, it'll taste like nothing in the rice too.
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