Spiced Gulf shrimp folded through rice cooked in their fragrant broth, layered with dill and dried lime.

Where does Murabyan come from?

Murabyan is a Kuwaiti dish from Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Can Murabyan be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Murabyan recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Murabyan take to make?

About 65 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 6.

Murabyan — a Kuwait City, Kuwait recipe

Name: Murabyan
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Kuwaiti
Ingredients: 1.5 lb shrimp, peeled (shells reserved); 2.5 cups basmati rice, soaked; 2 onion; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tomato; 1 tbsp baharat; 1 tsp turmeric; 2 dried lime (loomi); a big handful each fresh dill and cilantro

Asia → 🇰🇼 Kuwait → Kuwait City

Murabyan

Kuwaiti · medium · serves 6

prep 25 min · cook 40 min

~455 cal · 34g protein · 76g carbs · 1g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Spiced rice studded with pink shrimp and fresh dill

🇰🇼 Kuwait City

Murabyan is Kuwait's beloved shrimp rice, a dish of the Gulf where the sea has always set the table. Prawns are cooked into a spiced base, their shells simmered for a deep broth that steams the rice, and a generous hand of dill and loomi gives it the herby, sour lift that Kuwaiti families prize.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 6 —

•

1.5 lb shrimp, peeled (shells reserved)

•

2.5 cups basmati rice, soaked

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2 onion

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4 cloves garlic

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2 tomato

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1 tbsp baharat

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1 tsp turmeric

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2 dried lime (loomi)

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a big handful each fresh dill and cilantro

Instructions

1

Simmer the reserved shrimp shells in water for 15 minutes to make a quick stock, then strain (or use vegetable stock for the vegan version).

2

Soften the onion and garlic, add the tomato, baharat, turmeric, and pierced loomi, and cook to a thick base.

3

Stir the shrimp (or mushrooms) through the base for 2 minutes, then lift out half to keep them tender.

4

Add the drained rice and the hot stock, bring to a boil, then cover and steam on low 15 minutes.

5

Fold the reserved shrimp and most of the dill through the rice, rest 5 minutes, and serve topped with the remaining herbs.

Kuwait City tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Kuwait City. A Gulf capital where prawns meet spiced rice.

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Kuwait. A Gulf city-state where the sea sets the table.

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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

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