Carrot Maqluba

By Reem Kassis

Carrot Maqluba
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(679)
Notes
Read community notes

Maqluba is a traditional Palestinian dish made of rice, meat and fried vegetables, most often eggplants (in summer) or cauliflower (in winter), although some like to combine both, and add carrots as well. There are probably as many variations of this dish as there are families. A very popular, easy version is the one made with only carrots. Although maqluba is usually perceived as a time-consuming dish — you typically make broth, fry all the vegetables, assemble in layers and so on — this version uses a boneless, tender cut of meat, ready-made broth and a single pot. The whole dish is quick, and easy enough that you can make it on any weeknight in under an hour.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1pound jasmine or other long-grain rice (about 2¼ cups)
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1teaspoon black pepper
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4tablespoons olive oil or ghee (or a combination)
  • 1pound boneless rib-eye steak, cut into bite-size cubes
  • 1yellow onion, halved and sliced into ½-inch strips
  • 14ounces carrots (about 4 medium-large), peeled and cut into 2½-by-½-inch matchsticks
  • 4cups good-quality store-bought or homemade chicken broth
  • ¼ to ½cup toasted or fried slivered almonds
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

673 calories; 31 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 945 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Add rice to a bowl with water to cover and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain. To the drained rice, add 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, plus all the spices. Mix to combine, then set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium (9- to 10-inch), lidded nonstick pot (preferably not deeper than 6 inches), heat the olive oil over medium until shimmering but not smoking. Add the steak cubes, onions and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, periodically tossing around, until any meat juices evaporate and meat browns nicely all around, about 8 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the carrots and cook, stirring regularly, until carrots are glossy and just starting to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Remove from heat and make sure the meat and carrot mixture is evenly spread in the bottom of the pot. Top with the spiced rice mixture (do not mix).

  5. Step 5

    Slowly pour the broth into the pot (it should rise about ½ inch above the rice). Set an inverted (heatproof) plate over the rice to keep the rice and vegetables from mixing when broth boils. Ideally, the plate should be slightly smaller than the width of the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Taste the broth at this point and salt it to your liking.

  6. Step 6

    Cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low, remove the plate but return the lid, and simmer until the rice is fully cooked with no remaining bite, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the bottom of the lid with a tea towel or kitchen paper towels and cover again. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    To serve, remove the lid and place a large, inverted serving platter over the pot of rice. Using both hands, flip the pot, and slowly lift to reveal a beautiful cake-shaped dish. Garnish with toasted almonds and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5
679 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Sally

The things that really make maqluba shine are the sides that are served with it and eaten mixed in with the rice and other ingredients - a diced salad of tomatoes, cukes, peppers, parsley, and lots of lemon, and good yogurt. These bring all the umami you could dream of and both lighten and enrich the dish itself. I look forward to trying this weeknight version. It is one of the best dishes for entertaining I have ever encountered.

Prakash Nadkarni

Very good recipe: the layering technique is similar to (somewhat spicier) Hyderabadi Biryani, which uses meat marinated in spices+yoghurt. hungrypaprikas.com/maqluba/#tasty-recipes-1339 provides a more elaborate version: however, its use of tomato paste provides umami that make it adaptable to a vegetarian version. The tricky part is getting both the rice and meat perfectly cooked: "cheats" include semi-cooking the rice before combining with the meat for a final steaming.

Palestinian anonymous

Thank you for highlighting Palestinian cuisine! Maqluba ("upside down") is a very special, time-consuming, family dish. I appreciate your work but it's hard not to feel sad at this simple version: layering separate parts before simmering them together is the essence of Maqluba. Our family does eggplant (pre-fried thin, then layered on bottom & lower sides of pot) + lamb (pre-braised) + chickpeas + rice + spices, all slow-simmered in lamb broth. SaHtayn! Literally, "Two healths" = "Bon appétit"

Meg

It was a hit! I substituted chicken thighs for the the steak and it came out well:) I made tin foil straps to go around the plate so lifting it out of the pot was easy and didn’t disturb the rice. The flip out was daunting, but the gods must have been smiling... came out right in the center of the serving plate:)

Liz

I made this with ground beef because my kids don’t like the texture of steak and it is what I had on hand. May be a little low brow but it was still delicious!

Edith

The towel absorbs the steam as the rice finishes resting. Keeps it from getting soggy. It's a great technique, I now use it w/all my rice dishes.

Note, Metro Philly

In step five, wouldn't it make more sense to adjust the seasoning before covering the rice with a plate?

Added cauliflower

Added a bag of cauliflower florets and about a cup of bagged shredded carrots instead of doing matchsticks. Turned out great but next time I would not commit to the cake presentation, I don’t have a big enough platter and it went everywhere lol. Mixed up in the pot is probably just as good!

TM

Per other's notes, I sliced a fresno red pepper very thin and added it with the carrots. I also used pre-sliced carrots and while quite easy, they would have been nicer if they were sliced thicker. I also amped the spiced by adding additional cinnamon, cumin and turmeric. The onions produced so much liquid that I didn't get a nicely browned beef and perhaps to lessen some of it, I transferred it to a larger skillet. I ended up using wrought iron which worked great but the color was off a bit.

LP

It would have been good, but waaaaay too much salt. I’d salty the broth to taste only.

Hillary

This was a great dish that came together very quickly. Flavor profile similar to some basic pilafs/plovs I've made. Taking another readers notes I threw together a quick mix of herbs and lettuces with a yogurt dressing. This wasn't a WOW dish but was definitely good enough to join the weeknight rotation.

Brushjl

Delicious and the texture was perfect. Great seasoning mix.

Jude

Doesn't the meat get overcooked using this method? if so, why use ribeye which is best when rare or medium rare?

Margaret

So good! A few modifications: I didn’t have a non-stick pan so I used my rice cooker. I veganized it by using Impossible meat. Instead of cutting the carrots I used a bag of shredded carrots. For the broth I used Better Than Bouillon Chickenless broth. Discovering I had no cinnamon I used pumpkin pie spice. I also skipped the soaking the rice and just added the spices to the dry rice. Layered everything in the rice cooker, pressed “start” and it came out perfectly!

Susan S

Does anyone have an idea as to what meat substitute might work for vegetarians. Tofu? Tempeh? This sounds excellent if I could find a meat substitute

Maria

You lost me at the description of a nonstick saucepan with a fitted lid that is no more than 6 inches deep, in which the entire dish will be made. I have been cooking for decades, making some very complicated and delicious dishes, but have never bought such a pan or used one. The only nonstick pans I have are sauté/frying pans. And I'm not about to buy a pan just to make this dish. I guess I will have to look for a recipe for the original dish, which surely does not call for a nonstick saucepan.

Aline Libassi

Hi This looks wonderful. I have just finished a novel set in Palestine and this dish comes up frequently. Can it be made without meat?

Gloria

Need to add extra meat or less rice.

Fishswifty

I stuck to the spirit of the recipe but changed a lot of details. Used lamb and cauliflower instead of beef and carrots. Made sure to fry lamb and onions until all the liquid cooked off. My wife can’t tolerate cinnamon so I omitted it, upped cumin and turmeric to 3/4 tsp each and added 1/2 tsp allspice. It was great. The cauliflower melted into the rice. The almonds were an awesome touch. Might add cardamom and/or bay next time. It would be great with a yogurt sauce as mentioned by others.

Hillary

This was a great dish that came together very quickly. Flavor profile similar to some basic pilafs/plovs I've made. Taking another readers notes I threw together a quick mix of herbs and lettuces with a yogurt dressing. This wasn't a WOW dish but was definitely good enough to join the weeknight rotation.

TM

Per other's notes, I sliced a fresno red pepper very thin and added it with the carrots. I also used pre-sliced carrots and while quite easy, they would have been nicer if they were sliced thicker. I also amped the spiced by adding additional cinnamon, cumin and turmeric. The onions produced so much liquid that I didn't get a nicely browned beef and perhaps to lessen some of it, I transferred it to a larger skillet. I ended up using wrought iron which worked great but the color was off a bit.

melissa

This was so yummy! My problem was when I flipped it, bubbling noises let me know it wasn’t completely set together! So I quickly reversed the flip and scooped it out if the pan to eat. Two variations from the recipient were: I used 2 lbs steak instead of 1 and I only let it rest for 10 minutes. What caused the problem if not sticking together?

Added cauliflower

Added a bag of cauliflower florets and about a cup of bagged shredded carrots instead of doing matchsticks. Turned out great but next time I would not commit to the cake presentation, I don’t have a big enough platter and it went everywhere lol. Mixed up in the pot is probably just as good!

smallu

This was so tasty!!!!!! I had zero confidence that I was going to be able to make this properly but it turned out great.

Palestinian anonymous

Thank you for highlighting Palestinian cuisine! Maqluba ("upside down") is a very special, time-consuming, family dish. I appreciate your work but it's hard not to feel sad at this simple version: layering separate parts before simmering them together is the essence of Maqluba. Our family does eggplant (pre-fried thin, then layered on bottom & lower sides of pot) + lamb (pre-braised) + chickpeas + rice + spices, all slow-simmered in lamb broth. SaHtayn! Literally, "Two healths" = "Bon appétit"

Note, Metro Philly

In step five, wouldn't it make more sense to adjust the seasoning before covering the rice with a plate?

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