), ''makbūs/machbūs'' ( ar, مكبوس/مچبوس) , country = Saudi Arabia , region =

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

, creator = , course = Meal , served = , main_ingredient = Rice (usually long-grain, almost always basmati), chicken, vegetables, and a mixture of spices ( cardamom, saffron,

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

black lime Dried lime, also known as: black lime; ''noomi basra'' (Iraq); ''limoo amani'' (Iran); and ''loomi'' (Oman), is a lime that has lost its water content, usually after having spent a majority of its drying time in the sun. They are used whole, sli ...

bay leaves The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

and nutmeg) , variations = , calories = 265 , serving_size = 200 g , other = Kabsa ( ar, كبسة ''kabsah'') is an Arab

mixed rice dish Mixed is the past tense of ''mix''. Mixed may refer to: * Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category), an ethnicity category that has been used by the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics since the 1991 Census * ''Mixed'' (album), a co ...

, served on a communal platter, that originates from Saudi Arabia It is commonly regarded as a

national dish A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be ...

in all the countries of the

( Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen). It can also be found in regions such as southern Iran, the Negev desert in Israel, and the Malabar Coast of India. The dish is also popularly known as ''makbūs/machbūs'' ( Gulf pron.: ). The dish is made with rice and meat.

Etymology

The name comes from the word ''kabasa'' ( ar, كبس), literally meaning to press or squeeze, alluding to the technique used in the cooking where the ingredients are all cooked in (or "squeezed into") one pot.

Ingredients

These dishes are usually made with rice (usually basmati),

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

, vegetables, and a mixture of spices. There are many kinds of kabsa and each kind has a uniqueness about it. Pre-mixed kabsa spices are now available under several brand names. These reduce preparation time, but may have a flavor distinct from traditional kabsa. The spices used in kabsa are largely responsible for its taste; these are generally black pepper,

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

s, cardamom, saffron,

and nutmeg. The main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat. The meats used are usually chicken, goat, lamb,

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

, beef, fish or

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

. In chicken ''machbūs'', a whole chicken is used. The spices, rice, and meat may be augmented with

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

s, pine nuts, peanuts, onions, and sultanas. The dish can be garnished with ''ḥashū'' ( ar, حشو) and served hot with ''daqqūs'' ( ar, دقّوس), which is a home-made Arabic tomato sauce.

Methods of cooking

Meat for kabsa can be cooked in various ways. A popular way of preparing meat is called ''

mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...

''. This is an ancient technique that originates in Yemen, whereby meat is barbecued in a deep hole in the ground that is covered while the meat cooks. Another way of preparing and serving meat for kabsa is ''mathbi'', where seasoned meat is grilled on flat stones that are placed on top of burning embers. A third technique, ''madghūt'', involves cooking the meat in a

pressure cooker Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food under high pressure steam and water or a water-based cooking liquid, in a sealed vessel known as a ''pressure cooker''. High pressure limits boiling, and creates higher cooking temperatures which c ...

References

{{reflist Middle Eastern cuisine Saudi Arabian cuisine Yemeni cuisine Kuwaiti cuisine Israeli cuisine Palestinian cuisine Jordanian cuisine Emirati cuisine Bahraini cuisine Qatari cuisine Omani cuisine Iranian cuisine Indian cuisine National dishes Rice dishes Communal eating

Etymology

Ingredients

Methods of cooking

See also

References