Madrouba

Madrouba (Omani Rice Porridge)

A comforting Omani porridge of slow-cooked rice with a generous paste of garlic, ginger and black pepper, finished with a sizzling ghee-tempered onion and tomato topping. It is traditionally eaten with the hands, pulling off a piece of flatbread or a spoonful and dipping it into the bowl.

Prep

15 min

Cook

55 min

Total

70 min

Serves

4 to 6

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (1½ cups) basmati or Egyptian short-grain rice, rinsed until the water runs clear; null
• •1.8 L (7½ cups) water or light chicken stock, stock is the more traditional choice; null
• •200 g (7 oz) boneless chicken thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces; optional but traditional for a fuller madrouba; null
• •40 g (⅓ cup) fresh garlic cloves, peeled, about 8–10 large cloves; null
• •25 g (1 heaping tbsp) fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped; null
• •8 g (2 tsp) whole black peppercorns, freshly ground; null
• •5 g (1 tsp) ground turmeric
• •10 g (2 tsp) fine sea salt, adjust to taste; null
• •1 whole small dried lime (loomi), optional but authentic; pierced a few times with a knife; null
• •40 g (3 tbsp) ghee or clarified butter, divided; null
• •1 whole medium onion, finely chopped; null
• •1 whole ripe tomato, finely chopped; null
• •30 g (¼ cup) fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, to finish; null

Steps

1. 1 Grind the garlic, ginger and black peppercorns to a coarse paste using a mortar and pestle or small food processor. Set aside.
2. 2 In a heavy pot, melt 15 g (1 tbsp) of the ghee over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook 6–8 minutes until soft and pale gold.
3. 3 Add the chicken pieces (if using) and cook 3–4 minutes, turning, until lightly browned on all sides.
4. 4 Stir in the turmeric and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the water or stock, the dried lime (if using) and the salt. Bring to a boil.
5. 5 Skim any foam, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes so the broth takes on flavor.
6. 6 Add the rinsed rice and the garlic–ginger–pepper paste. Stir well, return to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on the lowest possible heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring every 5–7 minutes with a wooden spoon and adding 100–150 ml (scant ½ cup) of hot water as needed.
7. 7 Cook until the rice breaks down into a thick, soft, porridge-like consistency and the chicken (if using) reaches an internal temperature of 74 °C / 165 °F. The grains should be very soft but not dry; loosen with extra hot water if it tightens up too much. The final texture should be spoonable, not pourable.
8. 8 Meanwhile, make the topping: heat the remaining 25 g (about 2 tbsp) ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add the chopped tomato and cook 4–5 minutes, mashing, until it melts down into a thick, jammy sauce.
9. 9 Pour the hot tomato–ghee mixture over the pot of madrouba, scatter the cilantro over the top, cover and let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes so the flavors settle.
10. 10 Serve hot in shallow bowls. The traditional way to eat it is with the right hand, tearing off a piece of flatbread or scooping with a spoon and dipping it back into the bowl to absorb the porridge.