UAE

 Welcome to UAE!  I've always had it in my head that UAE was in India.  I was a little off...The country fascinated me: the futuristic buildings, one of which is the tallest man-made structure in the world, but I don't know that I would ever like to visit.  I hear it is extremely hot.  A Fantastic Friend asked to join us for dinner, and I couldn't say no. According to Google, the population is 9.4 million and the capital is Abu Dhabi.  Their national dish is...

 

 

Kabsa!

It's a chicken and rice dish, with lots of spices.  For dessert, we made Rose Mehalabya, which is a milk pudding.  The dishes looked pretty in the end, but let me tell you, it was quite the experience to make!  Here's what we did:

KABSA

4 tbsp butter
3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup tomato sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid
3 carrots, grated

1/2 tsp crushed saffron

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp cloves

4 C hot chicken broth

2 cups basmati rice

1 dried lime (poke several holes in it with tip of knife)

Garnish

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp butter
1/4 C raisins

1/4 C slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces. 
3. Melt butter in a large roasting pan, large stock pot, or dutch oven over medium heat.
4. Brown the chicken, skin side first, for 3 to 4 minutes. 
5. Turn chicken over and then scatter the onion and garlic all around chicken and sauté. Cook until onion is tender and chicken is browned on both sides. 
6. Remove chicken from pan, cover and keep warm.
7. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, carrots, all the spices, chicken stock and rice.  Top with browned chicken (skin side up), add dried lime and cover tightly. Bake for 45 minutes.
8. Remove cover, lift chicken pieces out to stir rice mixture and then place chicken back on top.
9. Bake another 15 minutes uncovered until rice is tender and chicken has browned more and reaches an internal temp of 165°F.
10. To make the garnish, in a small saute pan, melt the butter and cook the almonds and raisins until golden brown (several minutes). 
11. Place the rice on a large serving dish, top with chicken pieces and garnish with chopped parsley, raisins and almonds.

(Source: Kabsa)

ROSE MEHALABYA

For the Pudding

3 1/4 C whole milk

3/4 C heavy heavy cream
1/2 C sugar

1/2 C cornstarch
2 tsp orange blossom water
1 tsp rose water

For the Rose Syrup

2 tbsp rose syrup

1/4 C plus 2 tbsp water
2 tsp cornstarch

For the Pistachio Topping

2 tsp butter
1 C pistachios, finely chopped

1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp orange blossom water

1. In a medium saucepan, off the heat, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, sugar and cornstarch until well combined and the cornstarch has dissolved completely without any visible lumps.
2. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a full boil, whisking constantly. 
3. Continue to boil for a few more seconds until the mixture thickens and large bubbles form around the surface.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the orange blossom and rose waters.
5. Pour into cups and refrigerate uncovered until the surface has begun to set; about 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the Rose Syrup Topping.
7. In a very small saucepan, off the heat, whisk together the rose syrup concentrate, water and cornstarch until well combined.
8. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a full boil, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and large bubbles form around the surface.
9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and spoon a thin layer of the rose topping over the surface of each mehalabya cup, tilting the cup to cover evenly.
10. Refrigerate until set and cold; about 2 hours or up to overnight.
11. In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter then add in the pistachios. 
12. Sauté the pistachios in the butter, stirring frequently, until just beginning to toast. 
13. Add in the sugar and stir until melted and lightly caramelized around the pistachios. 
14. Remove from heat, then add in the orange blossom water. 
15. Transfer to another bowl, and allow to cool completely.
16. To serve, spoon the pistachio topping evenly over the cooled mehalabeya cups. 
17. Serve right away and enjoy!

(Source: Rose Mehalabya)

 

The verdict?  Mixed thoughts.  The Kabsa was good, but it needed A LOT of salt.  With all the spices in it, you would think it was spiced enough, but it really needed a lot of salt.  The rice was way overdone - I would have cooked it way less.  Maybe cook the chicken for a bit, then add the rice and chicken stock to the pot, and then cooked it.  I'm not sure what would have worked.  It was good, just not great.  the chicken didn't have much flavor either.  The Rose Mehalabya wasn't my favorite at all.  I think it was more a texture thing for me.  I didn't think it had much flavor either.  It looked pretty though!  And it was fun to make, but didn't do much for me.

 

   

ME

Taste of the Kabsa (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of the Kabsa (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable):0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

 

ME

Taste of the Rose Mehalabya (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 3

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 3

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of the Rose Mehalabya (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable):0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 4

 

 

Join us next time in Burundi!