The main meal in most Arabian Gulf countries is lunch and the popular food is rice and meat or chicken. This special food is called Kabsa in Saudi Arabia and Machbus in Bahrain and Kuwait. No matter how different the name is, the way the dish is prepared and served is still the same. Kabsa does not simply imply a food to be eaten, but it also connotes a social occasion for friends and family members to gather and meet. I have tried Kabsa in many well-known restaurants in the Middle East, yet, to me, homemade Kabsa is always the best. The reason is that every single stage in preparing Kabsa is minutely taken care of. Let's walk these steps together and see how we will come out with an appealing Kabsa.
Firstly, get the ingredients ready: a chicken cut into eight pieces, one cup of Basmati rice (the best quality rice you can buy in the market), two chopped red onions, two chopped tomatoes, four crushed cloves of garlic, and two grated carrots. You can still use other vegetables such as zucchini, but be sure you use only fresh vegetables. As for the spices, you will need four cardamom pods, three cinnamon sticks, salt, pepper and dried lemon. Of course you will also need about a quarter cup of vegetable oil, and the best type is olive oil because it is "mostly made up of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidative substances unlike any other oil". So, that can help you improve the health of your heart. It is now time for the most exciting part of the scene!
Secondly, you start the cooking. Put the cooking oil in the pot, and place over medium heat until the oil shows the first signs of bubbling. After that, fry the onions until they get a golden color. Add the tomato pieces and cook for five minutes. Next, add the chicken pieces and fry for seven more minutes. Use a wooden spoon instead of a metal one to stir the mix. After that, add enough water to cover the chicken pieces and then add all the mentioned spices. Allow the mix fifteen minutes to boil on a...