Choose a blend for the dish
Machboos gets its flavour from the broth. Mandi starts with a marinade on the chicken. Kabsa can start with onion and tomato, while saloona needs a blend that disperses through the stew.
Machboos
Sauté the onion, briefly stir in machboos seasoning, then add the broth. Taste the broth after the chicken is cooked and before adding the rice. Matbakhy’s blend contains cumin, coriander, cinnamon and star anise, among other spices. It can also be used with meat.
Mandi and kabsa
Rub chicken with a little oil and mandi seasoning. If you also season the rice, divide the blend between them and allow for its Himalayan salt. For kabsa, stir kabsa seasoning into the onion base. It combines cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander, black pepper and lemon. Taste the broth and tomatoes before adding more seasoning.
Saloona
Stir saloona seasoning into the onion before adding the liquid. The blend includes bay leaves, curry leaves and cardamom. If the stew will reduce considerably, start with a little and taste near the end. You can test a new blend in a small cup of cooked broth before seasoning the whole pot. Compare the options in the Gulf spices collection.
