“This dish feels familiar” is a phrase that I’ve uttered a handful of times over the last few months. I do varying levels of research on recipes for a country before I decide which one gets the coveted spot of “the dish I attempt” :). So I look at a lot of recipes, I rack my brain to see if the name of something seems too familiar, i.e. have I made this before representing a different country in the region? Or is it just similar to other dishes. This has been a repeated theme over the course of this project and it makes complete sense. Borders blur, food travels as people emigrate and these recipes go with them.

Chicken Kabsa is a Saudi Arabian chicken dish that is served with an extremely flavorful rice that I SWEAR I made previously. But yet again, I’m foiled by similar recipes with just a slight difference in ingredients. This rice reminded me of the rice I stuffed in a pumpkin for an Armenian dish last year but with some slight variations. This used yellow raisins instead of regular, and included shredded carrots and tomatoes among more than half a dozen spices. The chicken is also cooked in some of these spices before turning over the liquid to the rice. I’ve written before about my love for this method of cooking rice in the necessary liquid plus spices and vegetable as it really infuses the flavor into every bite. This was a delightful chicken w/rice meal and I appreciated the reminder of dishes past.

Recipe I used: (don’t hate, Martha Stewart’s was the most straightforward) https://www.marthastewart.com/1516314/chicken-kabsa

Overall Level of Effort: 2

Skill Level: Beginner

Would Make it Again? Yes

Additional Notes: No notes! This was awesome and my only tip would be to keep an eye on the rice to make sure it doesn’t burn or stick to the pan at the end.