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1
Brown the Chicken & Build the Broth
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken legs for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until golden. Stir in the onion and cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and baharat and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the grated tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes, then pour in the water and add the pierced dried limes, the green chilli and the salt.
Frying the spices in the ghee for a full minute wakes up their flavour — raw spice tastes flat in the finished porridge.
Done when: The broth smells warm and spiced, and the tomatoes have melted into the liquid.
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2
Simmer the Chicken Until Tender
45 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Bring the broth to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes until the chicken is tender and pulls easily from the bone. Lift the chicken out, pull the meat off the bones in shreds, and discard the bones and skin. The meat will be well past 74°C (165°F) throughout.
Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil toughens the chicken and clouds the broth.
Done when: The chicken is tender and shreds easily with two forks.
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3
Add the Rice & Cook It to Pieces
40 Mins
Low heat, ~120°C (250°F)
Return the shredded chicken to the pot, add the drained rice, and bring back to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and adding splashes of hot water whenever the pot looks dry. The rice should overcook completely — the grains should be barely discernible and the pot should look like a thick porridge.
Do not let the pot run dry: madrouba needs more water than ordinary rice, and a dry pot catches and burns on the bottom.
Done when: The rice has broken down into a thick porridge and the spoon leaves a slow trail through it.
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4
Beat It, Add the Greens & Serve
10 Mins
Low heat, ~120°C (250°F)
Stir in the spinach, coriander and parsley and cook for 3 minutes until the greens wilt. Take the pot off the heat and beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon or a potato masher for 3 to 5 minutes, until the rice and chicken are mashed together into a smooth, spoonable porridge. Stir in the lemon juice, taste for salt, and ladle into deep bowls.
Beating is the whole point of the name — keep going until no whole grains of rice are left, but stop while the porridge still holds its shape on the spoon.
Done when: The madrouba is thick, creamy and golden, with flecks of green through it, and it holds a soft mound in the bowl.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the madrouba hot in deep bowls, thick and golden with green herbs running through it, with lemon wedges and crisp fried onions on the side.
Qatar
2h 10m
France
Vietnam