Makloubeh

Prepare ingredients: trim and pat dry the Whole Chicken. Rinse the Medium-Grain Rice under cold water until it runs clear, then soak for 20–30 minutes and drain. Slice the Eggplants, cut the Cauliflower into small florets, slice the Potatoes, and cut the Tomatoes into thick rounds. Peel and thinly slice the Onion and mince the Garlic.

Season the chicken: rub the Whole Chicken with Salt, Black Pepper, Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, Ground Turmeric, Ground Cardamom and Ground Cinnamon.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2–3 tablespoons of Neutral Oil over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on all sides until golden (about 6–8 minutes). Remove the chicken and set aside.

In the same pot, add another tablespoon of Neutral Oil if needed and sauté the Onion until translucent. Add the minced Garlic, grated or chopped Tomatoes and whole warm spices: Bay Leaves, a Cinnamon Stick, Cardamom Pods and a few Cloves. Cook 2–3 minutes to release the aromas.

Return the chicken to the pot, pour in enough Chicken Broth to mostly cover the chicken (about 4–6 cups depending on pot size), bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and poach gently until the chicken is cooked through, about 25–30 minutes. Remove the chicken, reserve the broth, and keep it hot. Remove and discard whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, pods, cloves) if desired.

While the chicken simmers, fry the vegetables: heat oil in a skillet to medium-high. Fry the Eggplants until golden and soft, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry the Potatoes until golden and cooked through; drain. Lightly fry the Cauliflower florets until golden. Set all fried vegetables aside on paper towels.

Toast the nuts: in a small pan, toast the Pine Nuts and Blanched Almonds in a little Neutral Oil or dry until golden and fragrant; set aside for garnish.

Season the drained Medium-Grain Rice with a pinch of Salt, a little Ground Allspice, and a pinch of Ground Cinnamon.

Assemble the pot for steaming: arrange a layer of the fried Eggplants, Potatoes and Cauliflower across the bottom of the cleaned cooking pot (this will become the top when flipped). Place the cooked chicken pieces over the vegetables and tuck some Tomatoes slices among them. Scatter a few extra fried onion pieces if you like.

Carefully spoon the drained and seasoned Medium-Grain Rice over the chicken and vegetables, spreading it evenly. Gently pour the reserved hot Chicken Broth over the rice so it covers the rice by about 1–1.5 cm (use more or less depending on rice and pot). Taste the broth first and adjust with Salt or Black Pepper as needed. Add a couple of Bay Leaves on top if you like.

Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium heat until the liquid reaches a gentle simmer, then reduce to very low heat and steam for 25–30 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed.

Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Place a large serving platter over the pot, then carefully invert the pot to unmold the Makloubeh so the vegetable layer is on top. Lift the pot off to reveal the layered cake.

Garnish the unmolded Makloubeh with the toasted Pine Nuts and Blanched Almonds and sprinkle with chopped Fresh Parsley. Serve hot with bowls of chilled Plain Yogurt (Laban) on the side.