Madrouba means beaten, and that is exactly what happens to it: chicken and rice are cooked with warm spices until soft, then stirred hard with a wooden spoon until they collapse into a thick, savory porridge. It is the comfort food of Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, a favorite on the iftar table in Ramadan and the dish families make for anyone feeling under the weather.

It is not glamorous to look at, and it does not need to be. A bowl of madrouba with a pool of melted ghee and a squeeze of lime is quietly one of the most satisfying things to eat in the Gulf, and it holds patiently on a low stove through a long race.

The madrouba

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (40 g) ghee
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) bone in, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ripe tomato
• 1 loomi (dried black lime)
• 1 1/4 cups (250 g) basmati or short grain white rice
• 8 cups (1.9 liters) water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

To finish

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 lime

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