Hijazi Saleeg (creamy rice)

Name: Hijazi Saleeg (creamy rice)
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Gulf
Ingredients: For the chicken:; 1 chicken (about 1.2 kg), cut into quarters; 1 onion, halved, 3 cardamom pods, 2 bay leaves and 1 cinnamon stick; 4 small mastic tears (optional); 2 litres water, 1½ tsp salt and 1 tsp white pepper; For browning:; Juice of ½ lemon, ½ tsp salt and black pepper; For the saleeg:; 1 cup short-grain (Egyptian) rice, soaked and drained; ½ litre milk (about 2 cups); 1 tbsp ghee or butter and ½ tsp ground cardamom

Recipe No.: G-9

Gulf90 minServes 4

Saleeg is a well-known Hijazi dish from Mecca, Taif and Jeddah: white rice cooked in chicken broth and milk until creamy and soft. It is called a "face-whitening" dish, meaning it will not let the host down before guests, and it is served with browned chicken.

Ingredients for Hijazi Saleeg

For the chicken
1chicken (about 1.2 kg), cut into quarters
1onion, halved, 3 cardamom pods, 2 bay leaves and 1 cinnamon stick
4small mastic tears (optional)
2 litreswater, 1½ tsp salt and 1 tsp white pepper
For browning
½Juice of lemon, ½ tsp salt and black pepper
For the saleeg
1 cupshort-grain (Egyptian) rice, soaked and drained
½ litremilk (about 2 cups)
1 tbspghee or butter and ½ tsp ground cardamom

Method

Simmer the chicken with the onion, cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, mastic and white pepper for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming the foam.
Remove the chicken, season with lemon, salt and black pepper and brown in a 200°C oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain the broth, add the soaked rice and cook on medium-low until most of the broth is absorbed.
Add the hot milk and stir continuously on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is soft, creamy and mashed.
Stir in the cardamom and adjust the salt, then pour melted ghee over the top.
Serve on a wide dish with the browned chicken on top, with daqoos or pickled lemon.

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