~686 cal · 45g protein · 73g carbs · 22g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Flipped maqluba tower of rice, eggplant, and chicken on a platter
🇯🇴 Amman
Maqluba means "upside-down," and the flip is the whole event: the pot inverted over a platter, a held breath, then the reveal of intact layers to applause. Amman families measure cooks by whether the tower stands.
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Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 6 —
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2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in
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2.5 cups basmati rice, soaked 20 minutes
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1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds
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2 cups cauliflower florets
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1 tomato, sliced
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1 onion, chopped
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1 tsp each maqluba spice: allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper
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4 cardamom pods
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2 bay leaves
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1/2 cup neutral oil, for frying
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on the side plain yogurt or a chopped salad, to serve
Instructions
1
Fry the eggplant and cauliflower until golden; drain. Brown the chicken with the onion, cardamom, and bay, then simmer in 4 cups water 25 minutes. Keep the broth.
2
Layer the pot: tomato slices on the bottom, then chicken (or chickpeas), then eggplant and cauliflower.
3
Toss the drained rice with the ground spices and spread it on top. Pour in hot broth to cover the rice by half an inch.
4
Boil 5 minutes, then cover and cook on lowest heat 30 minutes. Rest 15 — resting is what lets the flip hold.
5
Place a platter over the pot, breathe, and flip in one motion. Lift slowly. Accept applause. Serve with yogurt or salad.
Amman family-table tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Amman. Where maqluba is flipped tableside to applause.
🗺️
Jordan. Bedouin hospitality and rice dishes flipped like trophies.
🌍
Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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