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Saleeg
Creamy rice with roast chicken
Saleeg (سليق): Hejazi creamy rice cooked in chicken broth and milk, topped with roast chicken
In Taif and the cities of the Hejaz in western Saudi Arabia, saleeg is what families cook when someone needs comforting, and it turns up on Friday lunch tables and at gatherings through the cooler months. Short-grain rice is simmered slowly in the broth the chicken was poached in, then loosened with milk until it is as soft and creamy as a savoury rice pudding. The chicken pieces are roasted until golden and laid on top, and a spoonful of hot ghee is poured into a well in the middle just before serving. Eat it with daqqus tomato sauce or a squeeze of lime and a plate of sliced cucumber. The usual mistake is to stop stirring once the milk goes in, so the rice catches on the base and tastes scorched. Chef's tip: keep a ladle of hot broth beside the pot and add it whenever the rice looks stiff; saleeg should slowly flow when you tilt the plate.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken and broth
- 2 ⅝ lb chicken pieces, bone inthighs and drumsticks, skin on
- 1 onionhalved
- 5 green cardamom podslightly cracked
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick5 cm
- 2 tsp salt
- 7 ½ cups water
For the rice
- 14 oz short-grain ricesuch as Egyptian or pudding-style rice, rinsed
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 tbsp ghee
For roasting
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lime (optional)cut into wedges
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb chicken pieces, bone in, 1 onion, 5 green cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 tsp salt in a large pot with 7 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender and reads 165°F at the thickest part near the bone.
35 minStep 2: Lift the chicken onto a roasting tray. Strain the broth into a jug and discard the whole spices and onion; you should have about 1.5 litres. Keep it hot.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 425°F. Brush the chicken with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp ground black pepper.
Step 4: Put 14 oz short-grain rice in the empty pot with 1.2 litres of the hot broth. Bring to a simmer, then cook on a low heat, stirring often, until the grains are soft and starting to break.
25 minStep 5: Pour in 2 cups whole milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, and keep cooking on the lowest heat until the rice is thick, creamy and almost porridge-like. Add more broth if it tightens; taste for salt.
15 minStep 6: Meanwhile roast the chicken until the skin is golden and crisp. It is already cooked through, so you are only browning it.
15 minStep 7: Melt 3 tbsp ghee until it is hot and smells nutty.
2 minStep 8: Spread the saleeg on a wide platter, arrange the chicken on top, make a well in the centre and pour in the hot ghee. Serve at once with 1 lime.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does saleeg take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of green cardamom pods?
- A pinch of ground cardamom per 2 pods.
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