Mqlubi

Let's get one thing straight, I love pasta and my loyalty to pasta is unshaken but... BUT Mqlubi is my guilty pleasure... it is so simple and yet so comforting.

Mqlubi is the word for upside down in Arabic, and it is just that. One pot meal layered with meat, vegetables and rice, and then turned upside down into a plate or tray. Simple right?...oh my! Delicious!

Any meat goes, any vegetable goes! My personal favourite is lamb chunks with cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and chickpeas.

This recipe yields 4 portions

Ingredients:

300 gr. of lamb (cut into bite size chunks)

2 cups of basmati rice (washed & rinsed)

1/2 cup of carrots (chopped)

1/2 zucchini (chopped)

1/2 cup of cauliflower (chopped in florets)

1 medium onion (chopped)

1/2 cup of chickpeas (cooked)

2 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts (to garnish)

2 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds (to garnish)

1 tablespoon of all spice

1 pinch of saffron

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive Oil to saute

Directions:

1. In a pan saute the onions and the meat with the olive oil, once cooked throughly add the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes, then add in the saffron, the spices the salt and pepper. Cook for a five minutes.

2. Add the chickpeas then the rice, cover with 3 cups of water and cook uncover for 10 minutes on high heat, cover and reduce the heat to minimum a cook fro 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes.

3. Place a tray on top of the pot and turn up side down. Garnish with pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Tips:

1. Any meat goes, so this combination with chicken is also fantastic.

2. Instead of chickpeas, green peas are also great.

3. Zucchini can be substituted by spinach.

Enjoy!