Jordanian Maqluba: Upside-Down Rice with Cauliflower, Lamb and Almonds

Put the lamb, quartered onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and a heavy pinch of salt in a pot, cover with water by two inches and bring to a boil. Skim the grey foam carefully, then lower to a bare simmer and cook 60 to 75 minutes until the meat is tender.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (900g) bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into thick slabs
• 2 cups (400g) basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes and drained
• 2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 peak-harvest tomatoes, sliced thick
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cinnamon stick and 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds and 1/4 cup pine nuts
• Olive oil, salt and black pepper
• Plain yogurt and chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

1. Put the lamb, quartered onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and a heavy pinch of salt in a pot, cover with water by two inches and bring to a boil. Skim the grey foam carefully, then lower to a bare simmer and cook 60 to 75 minutes until the meat is tender.
2. Strain and reserve the broth; you need about 3 cups. Discard the aromatics and set the lamb aside. This spiced broth is what will cook the rice, so do not be tempted to use plain water.
3. Salt the eggplant slices and let them sit 20 minutes, then blot dry. Fry them in olive oil until deep gold on both sides and drain on paper. Fry the cauliflower slabs the same way until browned at the edges and just tender.
4. Toss the drained rice with the allspice, turmeric, ground cinnamon, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper until every grain is stained yellow.
5. Oil a heavy, straight-sided pot generously. Lay the tomato slices across the bottom in a single overlapping layer; this becomes the crown of the finished dish, so arrange it as though it were the top.
6. Layer the fried cauliflower over the tomatoes, then the eggplant, then the lamb pieces. Spoon the seasoned rice over everything and press it down gently into an even bed without disturbing the layers below.
7. Pour the warm reserved broth down the side of the pot until it sits about half an inch above the rice. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly, drop the heat as low as it will go and cook undisturbed for 35 to 40 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, still covered, for a full 15 minutes. This rest lets the rice settle and firm, and it is the difference between a clean turn-out and a landslide.
9. Toast the almonds and pine nuts in a little oil until golden. Set a wide platter over the pot, take a breath, and invert the whole thing in one confident motion. Lift the pot away slowly and scatter the nuts over the top.
10. Serve with cold yogurt and parsley, cutting down through the layers so every plate gets rice, cauliflower and lamb.
11. Maqluba means simply upside-down, and the drama of the flip is the point: the dish is finished at the table, in front of everyone. It is Jordan's great communal meal, cooked for guests and Friday gatherings across the Levant, and its structure rewards the late-summer market, when cauliflower and eggplant are cheap and abundant and tomatoes are ripe enough to melt into the base.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 720 kcal
• Protein: 36g
• Fat: 32g
• Carbohydrates: 68g
• Fiber: 8g
• Sugar: 9g
• Sodium: 760mg