CHRISTMAS MEAL IN SAUDI ARABIA

Although we have already seen that Christmas is not celebrated in Saudi Arabia and we also know the reason why, this is not an impediment for people who come to celebrate Christmas in that country to prepare a dinner with typical Arab food. This country has a huge variety of delicious typical dishes that can be a good companion for Christmas and that all attendees enjoy an unforgettable meal.

One of the most popular dishes in this region and one of the richest is the "Kabsa", it is a dish based on rice with chicken, in addition to that it has raisins, onion, ginger, raw almonds, tomato, carrot, bay leaves and chopped celery, seasoned with multiple spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and dried lemon. It is a delicious dish, it reminds me a bit of simply pieces of chicken seasoned with rice, but in this country and in its version it also has a few fruits.

What you have to do to prepare the dish is the following:

Ingredients

• A large chicken or a leg of lamb cut to taste

• 500 grams. long basmati rice

• 5 tablespoons of butter or olive oil

• 2 medium onions

• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon of black pepper

• A teaspoon of ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom or grain

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 4 nails in grain

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric

• 3 green peppers

• 2 chillies, optional

• 4 bay leaves

• 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce

• 4 ripe tomatoes

• Salt to taste

• Chopped parsley

• Nuts to decorate

Step 1: Wash the rice and leave it to soak in lukewarm water for 30 minutes.

Step 2: In a saucepan with butter or oil, put the chopped onions and stir over low heat until golden, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and stir for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add chicken or lamb and julienned green bell pepper and stir until meat is golden brown.

Step 4: Add the grated ripe tomatoes and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf, coriander, ground cumin, black pepper and turmeric. Stir for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Add hot water and cook over medium heat until the meat is done.

Step 7: Remove the meat from the broth and place it in a bowl, add the rice so that it is submerged in the broth like a finger. Water can be added as needed. And cook over low heat after the rice starts to boil.

Step 8: Place the rice on a large tray, add the pieces of meat, garnish with nuts, lemon slices and raisins - optional -. Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve.

This is how you have one of the richest Arab dishes of all, it is a great option to cook at this time of year such as Christmas, for Christians who reside in Arabia it is a great option to prepare delicious food and have a good time. moment, although it is not the same as in their places of origin but you can enjoy the food, and for the people who are from arabia they can prepare it simply as a dinner and enjoy the beautiful gastronomy that their country has.