Kabsa is the dish most Saudis would name first: rice cooked with meat or chicken in a broth built on caramelized onion and tomato and perfumed with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, dried lime and saffron. It is cooked in almost every region of the kingdom, served on a great communal platter at family lunches, weddings and religious holidays, and traditionally eaten with the right hand. Lamb and camel kabsa mark the grandest occasions; chicken kabsa is the everyday version, the one families cook week in, week out.

Jeddah's street circuit runs along the Red Sea at night, and a race weekend there is a feast of hospitality. Kabsa fits that spirit exactly: one pot, generous portions and a platter built for sharing. Ours finishes the chicken under the broiler, as many Saudi home cooks now do, so the skin turns golden while the rice steams.

The spice blend

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Method

1. Stir the spices together in a small bowl.

Chicken and broth

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (40 g) ghee or oil
• 2 large onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 green chili
• 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 lb (1.6 kg)
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 loomi (dried black limes)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) hot water

Method

1. Heat the ghee in the pot over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring often, for 12 minutes. Add the garlic and chili for 1 minute.
2. Add the chicken pieces and half the spice blend and turn them in the onions over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the grated tomato, tomato paste, loomi, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, carrot and salt. Cook for 4 minutes.
4. Pour in the hot water, bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Cover and simmer gently for 30 to 35 minutes.
5. Heat the broiler. Lift the chicken onto the baking sheet, sprinkle with the rest of the spice blend and brush with a spoonful of broth. Broil 6 to 8 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp at the edges, then cover with foil.
6. Measure the broth left in the pot, leaving in the loomi and whole spices. You need 4 1/2 cups (1.1 liters) for sella rice, or 3 3/4 cups (900 ml) for regular basmati. Add water or boil to reduce.

The rice

Ingredients

• 3 cups (600 g) sella or regular basmati rice
• 1 pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon) saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) warm water

Method

1. Rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs clear, then soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Crumble the saffron into the warm water.
2. Bring the broth to a boil. Drain the rice and stir it in once. Boil uncovered over medium high heat until the broth drops below the surface of the rice, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Drizzle the saffron water over the top, cover tightly (wrap the lid in a towel if loose), lower the heat to the minimum and steam 20 to 25 minutes without lifting the lid.

The garnish

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 g) ghee or oil
• 1/3 cup (45 g) slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup (50 g) golden raisins

Method

1. Heat the ghee in the small skillet over medium heat. Toast the almonds, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the raisins for 30 seconds.

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