For Pure Bliss, Master Mashkhoul, a Gulf Fragrant White Rice Dish

Mashkhoul, an aromatic white rice dish, offers a flavorful accompaniment to stews and meats or can be enjoyed on its own.

3 min

Recipe by Sarah al-Hamad Photograph by Sue Atkinson

If there is one dish to master in the Gulf, it is mashkhoul—or `ash, as the locals call it—the starting point for all cooking and eating.

I've watched rice being cooked hundreds of times—the grains washed and rinsed carefully, changing color and swelling as they cook and finally releasing a glorious aroma while steaming. Cooking rice is a comforting, familiar ritual. This is probably why a bowl of aromatic, fluffy rice topped with crispy onions is considered pure bliss.

Recipe

Mashkhoul (Fragrant White Rice)

Serves 4

  • 1 kilogram basmati rice
  • 1 lemon wedge
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Salt to taste

For the Marinade

  • Pinch of saffron strands
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped

For the Furqa`

  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
Wash the rice and leave it to soak for 30 minutes. Rinse until the water runs clear, then drain.

Soak the saffron strands for the hakouka in 3-4 tablespoons of warm water for at least 30 minutes.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the lemon, vegetable oil, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. Pour in the rice and return to a boil, cooking over high heat for a few minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer. Test a grain between your thumb and forefinger: It should be soft on the outside but still a little firm. Drain the rice in a colander.

Now make the bottom crust that serves as the dish's base, the all-important hakouka. Rinse and dry the pan and return to the heat. Heat the vegetable oil until sizzling and fry the onion until soft and transparent. Pour in 1 tablespoon of saffron water. Then with a slotted spoon, gradually layer the rice (this avoids compressing the grains) into the bottom of the pan. When the last of the rice is spooned on, pour over the remaining saffron water.

Lay a sheet of foil over the pan, then cover with the lid. Cook over high heat for about 3 minutes, until steam swells under the foil (take a quick look), then cook over low heat for 30 minutes or longer, if necessary. The goal is rice that is soft and fluffy but not mushy, with the grains separate.

For the furqa`, heat the oil until sizzling and fry the onion until crispy and brown. Drain on paper towels.

Spoon out the rice, spices and broken-up crust onto a large platter and sprinkle with the crispy onions. Serve with stews, poached meat or simply savor on its own.

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Reprinted with permission from:
Cardamom and Lime: Recipes From the Arabian Gulf
Sarah al-Hamad. Interlink Books, 2008. InterlinkBooks.com.

Photo credit: Kate Whitaker

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