What is Maqluba?
Maqluba is a Palestinian casserole that is served in many countries around the Middle East. The ingredients may vary from one recipe to another, but generally consists of layers of meat, eggplant and vegetables such as cauliflower and tomatoes, all cooked under a layer of rice. The real word "Maqluba" means "upside down", which is precisely how the final casserole is served, overturning the baking pan upside down and crushing the food on the serving plate. Traditional accompaniment includes yogurt and cucumber salad. The recipe is very versatile and can be made as the only large main dish for many people, or in small Ramekins for individual portions.
Maqluba creation begins with meat. The cube of lamb is often used, although there are also beef, veal or chicken in the bowl. Vegetarian varieties Maqluba spare potatoes for meat. In a hot pan with oil, the meat is quickly brownish to form a bark and sealing the juices; The bulbs are added at this point and cooked with the meat until it also brown. The Lord isFilled with water and the meat ends with cooking in the liquid.
eggplant is an important component in Maqluba. Depending on the type of eggplant used, it may be solen before cooking. Allowing eggplants to sit with salt on their surface pulls moisture out of the meat, which can also reduce the bitter taste associated with vegetables. After drying and cleaning from any salt used, the slices are fried in a layer of oil until brown. Ten are exhausted and dried again.
Another traditional component is cauliflower. Flowers are usually divided into pieces of bite size, drizzled with olive oil and arranged in one layer on a baking tray. The cauliflower is baked in the oven until it develops some color, suggesting that its sugars have begun to caramelize.
To create a casserole, a large pan is lubricated with butter, oil or ghee and the tomato slices are located on the very bottom; This eventually becomes a peak during the presentation. On the tomatoes goes thin tillsTva rice, followed by stewed meat. The eggplant slices are arranged at the top of the meat. In the end, the remaining uncooked rice accumulates on the eggplant. Warm waters, usually reserved from meat stew, are poured into the pan and the whole food is allowed to boil over a very low flame for an hour or more until the rice completes.
When cooking, the pot is reversed with a serving bowl at the top. Maqluba should be extended from the lubricated pan to the plate. Depending on several factors, the parties of the casserole could brown during the final cooking. Food can be served with tahini sauce, cucumber salad or yogurt