Madrouba

Ingredients

The protein

• 800 gchicken on the bone
• or 400 g salted dried fish
• soaked overnight

The rice

• 400 gshort grain rice
• rinsed
• about 2 litres water

The pot

• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoonsOmani spice mix
• or mixed Gulf spice
• 1 teaspoonground turmeric
• 2dried limes, pierced
• loomi
• 1cinnamon stick
• 4cardamom pods
• 3 tablespoonsghee
• salt and black pepper

To finish

• 80 gghee, melted
• fried onion
• chopped coriander
• a little lemon

Directions

1. Pierce each dried lime before adding it. Cut the chicken into pieces on the bone. Rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Pat all of them completely dry. Use chicken pieces on the bone. Heat the ghee in a large heavy pot.
2. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Cook them for a good ten minutes. Let them soften and turn golden. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Cook them for two more full minutes. Add the spice mix and the turmeric.
3. Fry them for thirty seconds only. Add the chicken pieces to the pot. Turn them through all the spices. Let them colour for about five minutes. It does not need to brown hard. Add the pierced dried limes to it. Add the cinnamon and cardamom. Add the water and a little salt. Bring the pot up to a full boil.
4. Cover the pot and let it cook on. Give it about forty full minutes. Lift all the chicken pieces out. Let them cool enough to handle. Pull all the meat from the bones. Discard every bone and piece of skin. Check them very thoroughly indeed. Add the rinsed rice to the broth.
5. Return the picked chicken to the pot. Bring it all back to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook on. Give it about forty-five minutes. Stir it every ten minutes or so. The rice should cook well past done. Stir right into the corners each time. Dried limes turn bitter if beaten in.
6. Remove them once they have given their flavour. Take a wooden beater or a heavy spoon. Beat the mixture hard in the pot. Press it against the sides as you go. Press and crush rather than stirring. Work systematically around the pot. Judging the beating takes a look.
7. Add hot water if it is too stiff. Beat it in well as you add it. Leave it looser than you want it. It sets almost solid when cold. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed.
8. Add plenty of black pepper as well. Squeeze in a little lemon to lift it. Add it at the end rather than cooking it. Serving it is always done piping hot. Spread it on a wide serving platter. Make a hollow in the middle of it. Pour melted ghee into that hollow. Scatter fried onion over the top. Add chopped coriander over that. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• The atlas also carries madrooba from the Emirates: the same dish under a spelling variant of the same Arabic name, since Gulf food culture crosses those borders freely. The Omani version is most often made with chicken and the Emirati leans more on salt fish, though both are made with either.
• Remove every bone before beating, since nothing stays recognisable afterwards and a bone would not be seen or felt; also fish out the dried limes and whole spices, since the limes turn bitter if beaten in and whole spices do not break down.
• A blender gives a smooth paste, which is a different texture entirely; beating with a stick leaves a little variation through the mass, and that variation is part of the character of the dish.

Substitutions

• Salted dried fish, soaked overnight, stands in for chicken and is equally traditional.
• A heavy wooden spoon does the job of the dedicated wooden beater.

Variations

• Madrooba in the Emirates is the same dish under another spelling.
• It is made in Ramadan particularly, and for the sick and elderly since it needs no chewing.
• Omani spice blends lean on cardamom and dried lime more than the Emirati ones.

History

Rice with fish or chicken beaten with a stick until creamy; the name means beaten.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madrouba?

Madrouba is a main from Oman: rice beaten with chicken and spices into rich savory mash. Rice with fish or chicken beaten with a stick until creamy; the name means beaten.

How long does Madrouba take to make?

Madrouba takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Madrouba?

Yes, within limits. Salted dried fish, soaked overnight, stands in for chicken and is equally traditional. A heavy wooden spoon does the job of the dedicated wooden beater.

What is the most important thing to get right in Madrouba?

Remove them once they have given their flavour. Take a wooden beater or a heavy spoon. Beat the mixture hard in the pot. Press it against the sides as you go. Press and crush rather than stirring. Work systematically around the pot. Judging the beating takes a look.