Vegetable Maklouba Without Meat (Makloubeh)
This vegetable maklouba is an extravagant presentation of upside down rice topped with an assortment of vegetables and browned nuts. Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 320kcal
Equipment
- 2.7 qt Dutch Oven or see FAQ re pot
Ingredients
- 1 Large Potato sliced 1cm thick
- 1 Med Eggplant sliced 1cm thick
- 1 Med Onion sliced 1cm thick
- 1 Med Capsicum (Bell pepper) sliced 1cm thick
- 1 head Garlic peeled and cloves left whole
- 1½ cups Long grain rice or basmati rice
- ½ tablespoon Ground turmeric
- ½ tablespoon Ground all spice
- ½ tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- 4 tablespoon Olive oil divided into 4. 1 tablespoon for vegetables, 1 tablespoon for rice, 1 tablespoon for brushing pot and 1 tablespoon browning nuts
- 2¾ cups Vegetable stock
- ¼ cup Pine nuts
- ¼ cup Slivered almonds
- 1 pinch Salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
Preparing Vegetables
- Coat eggplant, potato and capsicum in 1 tablespoon oil and place on a baking tray. Roast in the oven at 200C (392F) for approx. 30 minutes until lightly golden brown.1 Large Potato, 1 Med Eggplant, 1 Med Capsicum
Preparing Rice
- In a mixing bowl, combine rice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, all spices really well. Set aside.1½ cups Long grain rice, ½ tablespoon Ground turmeric, ½ tablespoon Ground all spice, 4 tablespoon Olive oil, ½ tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
Preparing Nuts
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saucepan and brown pine nuts and slivered almonds (do this whilst maklouba is cooking) set aside.4 tablespoon Olive oil, ¼ cup Pine nuts, ¼ cup Slivered almonds
Maqlouba Assembly
- Brush pot (see suggest pot) with olive oil and start layering vegetables. Place eggplant first, then potato, capsicum (bell pepper) in between by filling gaps. Then place a layer of onion and scatter garlic on top.1 head Garlic, 1 Med Onion
- Cover vegetables with an even layer of slightly compacted rice, ensuring the vegetables are fully covered. Carefully and slowly pour vegetable stock onto contents. Cover with lid.2¾ cups Vegetable stock
- Bring to a slight boil over medium heat for 5 minutes, then turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, do not open lid, allow Maqluba to sit for 10 minutes.
- Open pot and place a large serving plate or platter on top. Flip everything upside down and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then slowly lift the pot to reveal the maqlouba. Garnish with brown nuts and parsley. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Be sure to uniformly cut your vegetables into 1cm (approx. ½ inch) thicknesses.
Do not use pre-cooked rice pouches.
Mixing the oil, spices through the rice prior to cooking ensures even distribution of flavor. As this is a reduced-fat version (without meat) it is important that the oil is evenly distributed through the rice.
Only compact the rice slightly, do not overdo it as this may result in the rice not cooking or cooking unevenly. See video.
Vegetable stock - should cover the rice approx. 1 ½ cm (½”). DO NOT add extra water. A slight boost of salt may be needed to this recipe, depending on the stock used. Do a taste test of the vegetable stock, it should taste saltier than usual, this will diffuse whilst cooking. Or add more salt at the end.
Gently pour the vegetable stock over the rice layer to not disturb it. See video.
Do not open the pot during cooking, trust the process. The contents will cook perfectly. (if you do, the world won’t end - haha, but don’t leave the pot open for too long - have a quick peek)
Do not bring to a hard boil, it will disrupt the contents which can result in uneven cooking and the maqlouba to not conform to shape when flipped over, it’ll just fall apart.
About the 5 minutes mark of cooking, the outer perimeter of the maqlouba will start bubbling, reduce the heat to low. If unsure if it is boiling, listen for it or take a quick peek (until you get used to cooking this dish).
Do not overcook the rice, if you hear it bubbling still at 15 minutes, that is fine. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit for at 10 minutes - do not open the lid!
Serving plate or tray - this should bigger than the pot with at least a 10cm perimeter to catch any parts the may fall during flipping. The rim of the plate/tray should be a little upright to also assist with spillage. If using a pot where the handles are flush with the top of the pot, you will need to factor these handles in when selecting your serving plate/tray.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 884IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg