Name: Saleeg (Saliq)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Saudi (Hejazi / Taif)
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, quartered; 1 onion, quartered; 4 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp black pepper; 1.5 litres water; Salt to taste; 400 g (2 cups) short/medium-grain rice, rinsed; About 1.2 litres reserved chicken broth; 250 ml (1 cup) full-fat milk; 2 tbsp butter or ghee; 2–3 pieces mastic (miski), crushed with a little sugar; Salt to taste; Daqoos (spicy tomato sauce); A little extra butter

Method

Tick a step to mark it done.

Step 1: Simmer the chicken with the onion, whole spices and salt until cooked and a good broth forms, about 40 minutes. Lift out the chicken; strain and reserve the broth.
Step 2: Rinse the rice well. In a heavy pot, bring about 1.2 litres of the broth to a boil, add the rice and simmer, stirring often, until very soft and starting to break down, 25–30 minutes. Add more broth if it thickens too fast.
Step 3: Stir in the milk, butter and crushed mastic, and keep stirring until creamy and porridge-like. Adjust salt.
Step 4: Meanwhile roast or grill the chicken until golden.
Step 5: Spread the creamy rice on a platter, top with the roasted chicken and a little melted butter. Serve with daqoos.

To serve

Serve piping hot with sharp, spicy daqoos to cut the richness.

Saleeg (Saliq)

Ingredients

Method

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