Maklouba usually takes hours to prepare—slow-cooking the meat until tender and then assembling the pot, which is a time-consuming process. Here is a special version of maklouba, ready in just 30 minutes of cooking time.
You can even bake the eggplants the day before, saving more time during the final preparation.
Ingredients (for 6 servings):
1 cup round rice
750 grams whole, clean chicken livers
Oil for frying
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1 cm rounds with the peel
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 thinly sliced tomatoes
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon baharat (spice mix)
1 ½ cups chicken broth (or water with chicken bouillon)
Parsley for garnish
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with oil, sprinkle with a little salt and sugar, and bake for 25 minutes until golden.
2. Rinse the rice in water and drain.
3. In a frying pan, cook the livers with a little oil for about 2 minutes on each side, then set them aside.
4. In a 24 cm pot, layer the livers on the bottom, followed by an even layer of eggplants. Sprinkle the garlic, arrange the tomato slices on top, and then spread the rice in an even layer over everything.
5. In a small bowl, mix the spices with the broth and carefully pour over the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and let the dish rest for at least 15 minutes.
6. the pot onto a large plate or tray, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.
Recipe by Ruth Oliver, in collaboration with Olive Tree Oil.