Mushroom Maqluba
Mushroom Maqluba is a tantalising medley of flavours and textures that never fails to captivate the senses. Originating from the Levant region, this dish has evolved over centuries, embodying the essence of hospitality and the artistry of home cooking.
Ingredients
- 500 g Jasmine / long-grain white rice
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
- 250 g button mushrooms sliced
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 6 cardamom pods
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 800 g medium-sized portabello / brown mushrooms
- Pomegranate rubies to serve
- Lightly toasted almond flakes to serve
- Fresh mint leaves to serve
- Double cream yoghurt to serve
- Olive oil for cooking
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Note: A 26cm Dutch oven ± 10 cm deep is the perfect size for this recipe.
Instructions
Method:
- Rinse rice well and then soak for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200˚C.
- Place portabellos on a large baking tray.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for ± 10 minutes, depending on their size, until tender.
- Remove and place on a chopping board gills side down to drain.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a 26cm Dutch oven.
- Add the button mushrooms and cook until golden brown.
- Add the onion and cook until soft.
- Add the garlic and all the spices and cook until fragrant.
- Scrape the mixture out of the pot and add to a bowl.
- Drain the rice and add to the bowl and mix well along with 1 tsp of salt.
- Off the heat - arrange the portabellos, gills down, in the pot in a well-fitting pattern.
- Spoon the spiced mushroom and rice mixture over the portabellos.
- Gently pour the stock into the pot.
- Set a heatproof plate over the rice to keep it down.
- The plate should be slightly smaller than the width of the pot. A springform tin’s base works very well for this.
- Cover the pot with the lid and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and check if the rice is tender.
To serve:
- Place a large, flat, serving dish on top of the pot.
- Using oven gloves, flip the pot onto the dish in one quick motion.
- If the rice cake does not release immediately, let the pot rest upside down for a few minutes.
- Remove the pot to reveal the beautiful mushroom-topped rice cake.
- Scatter the top with pomegranate rubies, toasted almonds and mint leaves. Serve with yoghurt on the side and enjoy!