Makloubeh: The Much Anticipated, Turned Pot – Recipe

I remember smelling the aroma of makloubeh before I remember seeing it: onions browning beside the meat, eggplant turning golden in the pan, and a pot of broth gently simmering with cinnamon and bay leaves. Long before dinner, our noses knew what was coming.

The name makloubeh means “upside down.” Rice, meat, and vegetables cook in layers, then the entire pot is turned onto a platter. The dish has a history as layered as the food itself. Recipes bearing the name appeared in a 13th-century Baghdad cookbook, though they were quite different from the makloubeh we know today. In 1921, Elihu Grant described a preparation in Palestine made with rice and eggplant, cooked in a deep vessel and turned over to serve.

Palestinian kitchens have never held to just one version. My friend Dimitri, who knows Palestinian food well, reminded me how families adapted the dish to their place, their season, and what they had on hand. Recipes traveled between households, and each cook created a makloubeh of her own.

In our home, we made it with eggplant and onions or with cauliflower and potatoes, always with generous pieces of beef or lamb. We assembled the layers with care: tomatoes at the bottom, then meat, eggplant, and rice. We tucked some eggplant against the sides of the pot, filling the spaces between the vegetables and meat with rice. Even as children, we understood that construction mattered when it was time to turn the pot.

That was the moment everyone waited for. A large platter went over the pot. With a firm grip and one quick movement, it was turned upside down. Then came the pause. We watched as the pot was lifted slowly, hoping the makloubeh would hold its shape.

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When it stood in a golden mound, laughter broke out, sometimes followed by applause. Pine nuts and almonds were scattered over the top, and bowls of yogurt or Palestinian salad were brought to the table. The first serving loosened the carefully made layers, and dinner began.

I still think of makloubeh when I hear a family laughing around a table. I remember the aroma, the waiting, and the anticipation as all of us leaned in to see the pot lifted.

Jerusalem style recipe for eggplant makloubeh

Family recipes rarely arrive with exact measurements, but these amounts can serve as a guide. Adjust the seasoning and layers to your taste.

Serves: Approximately 4-6

Ingredients

Method

1. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt on both sides. Lay them between clean cloths for about 20–30 minutes to draw out some moisture, then pat dry.
2. In a large pot, warm a little oil and butter. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, cardamom, garlic, black pepper and stir briefly until fragrant. Add the beef and brown it, then add the onions and cook until they take on color.
3. Pour in enough hot water to cover the meat by about 1–2 inches. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1–1½ hours, or until the beef/lamb is tender. The longer it cooks the better. If needed, add more hot water. Season the broth with salt after the meat has cooked. Remove the meat and strain or ladle out the broth, reserving it for the rice.
4. Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear. Soak it in warm salted water for about 15 minutes, then drain. In a separate pan, fry the eggplant in batches until golden. Set it on paper towels to drain.
5. Line the bottom of a large, heavy pot with the tomato slices. Arrange the meat over them and stand some eggplant slices against the sides. Add half the rice, a layer of the remaining eggplant, and then the rest of the rice. Gently settle the rice into the spaces without pressing the layers too tightly.
6. Pour in the hot reserved broth until it just covers the rice. Bring to a lively simmer with the pot uncovered or partly covered. When the liquid starts boiling and drops to just below the surface of the rice, cover tightly and reduce the heat to very low. Cook until the rice is tender and the broth has been absorbed, about 10–12 minutes. If needed, add a little more hot broth and continue cooking.
7. Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for 10–15 minutes. Place a platter larger than the pot firmly over the top. Make sure the pot does not have handles above the rim. Holding both together, turn them over in one confident motion. Wait a minute or two, then slowly lift the pot.
8. Fry the pine nuts and almonds in a touch of olive oil separately until golden brown and scatter them over the makloubeh. Serve with yogurt or Palestinian salad.

Vegetarian variation: Use an alternative protein of your choice and cook the rice in a well-seasoned vegetable broth.