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Madrouba
Madrouba (مضروبة): Qatari beaten rice and chicken porridge with spices and ghee
Madrouba means 'beaten', and in Doha and across Qatar and Oman it is a Ramadan favourite, cooked in big pots and beaten with a wooden spoon until the rice and chicken become one creamy porridge. It is soft and savoury, warmed by cumin, cardamom and black lime, and finished with a pool of ghee and sometimes crisp fried onion. Families eat it at iftar after dates and soup, or on cold evenings. The mistake is adding all the water at the start and walking away: the rice needs stirring so it breaks down evenly without catching. Chef's tip: use a whisk or a sturdy wooden spoon in the last 15 minutes and beat hard; the texture should be smooth with only tiny threads of chicken.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 5
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz short-grain or broken ricerinsed and soaked 30 minutes
- 2 onionschopped
- 1 tomatograted
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 dried black limepierced
- 2 tsp salt
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To finish
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 4 tbsp crisp fried onions (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot and soften 2 onions. Add 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp ground black pepper and stir for a minute.
8 minStep 2: Add 1 ¾ lb chicken thighs, bone in, skinned, 1 tomato, 1 dried black lime, 2 tsp salt and 8 ¼ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer until the chicken reads 165°F and falls off the bone.
40 minStep 3: Lift out the chicken, shred the meat and discard the bones and the lime.
Step 4: Add the drained 10 ½ oz short-grain or broken rice to the broth and simmer, stirring often, until the grains are very soft and breaking up.
30 minStep 5: Return the shredded chicken and beat hard with a whisk or wooden spoon on a low heat until the porridge is smooth, thick and creamy. Loosen with hot water if needed.
15 minStep 6: Spoon into bowls, pour hot 3 tbsp ghee over each and top with 4 tbsp crisp fried onions.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 500 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does madrouba take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 5 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of short-grain or broken rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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