Baking Bread at Home

The first time I made maqlouba, I was so proud of myself! I asked one of my Palestinian friends for an authentic Palestinian recipe and she gave me a recipe for maqlouba. The recipe was in Arabic, which wasn't a problem because I can read Arabic, but it was clearly written by someone who already knew all of the ins and outs of what "maqlouba" is, and I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

After a lot of googling for images and recipes written in English, I was able to get a pretty good idea of the method of cooking it and how to put it together, but I didn't manage to find any recipes with spices that seemed truly authentic. Finally I found a recipe for a shawarama spice mix, and that spice recipe seemed closest to the spices in the recipe my friend had sent me months before.

The first time I made it, I was pretty sure that the rice would stick to the bottom of the pot and not come out looking like a beautiful rice cake. My husband was pretty skeptical too and I told him that, even if it doesn't come out of the  pot looking pretty, it'll still taste amazing. But it did come out! and it has every time I've made it! The trick is to make sure that the bottom of the pan has a good layer of vegetables or meat. The other, equally important trick, is to turn the pot upside down onto a plate and LEAVE IT THERE. Seriously, don't even peak! I know it's sooo hard not to just take a tiny peek, but I promise you that if you turn it over and leave it alone for 3 minutes, you'll be so glad you did when you remove the pot and see your beautiful creation.

The pot needs to be left where it is - DON'T JIGGLE IT either. As it sits there upside down, the contents of the pot slowwwwly loosen and slide down onto the plate exactly in the sape of your pot (Thank you gravity!) If you jiggle the pot, or take a peak, you risk causing some of the rice to loosen and fall before the rest of it does, causing the whole thing to colapse! 

The second time I made maqlouba, I got fancy and added eggplant around the side of the pot before adding any of the rice. I encourage you to google "maqlouba" or "maqluba" for decoration inspiration and ideas for what kind of vegetables or meat to use.

Take your time and remember to breathe while you're assembling the layers in the pot. Just remember that, whether it comes out looking the way you dreamed or not, it will taste amazing! And it has a good chance of turning out beautifully if you force yourself to leave the pot alone while it's upside down.

Good luck and happy cooking!