Eid recipes: Arsiya

Arsia up close. 

Arsiya  عرسية

Also called “riz al mudhroub”, arsiya (3rsiya) is a paste of chicken and rice that is eaten with a fruity sauce. It tends to appear during Eid and at celebrations like weddings. The following recipe comes from Eat Omani by Omer Al Aamri.

Ingredients, rice paste

1 whole chicken

5 litres water

1 kg rice

½ teaspoon black pepper powder

½ teaspoon salt

Method

Cut up the chicken into very small pieces.

Wash the rice 4 times, and soak for 30 minutes.

Boil the water and add the chicken, salt and black pepper.

Cook for half an hour.

Add rice and top up water to about 4 litres.

Cook for another half hour or until everything has softened.

Simmer 15 minutes.

Mash into a paste.

Ingredients for sauce, called tarsha:

½ kg chicken

1 litre water for the chicken; additional water for fruit preparation

1 cup raisins

½ small pack tamarind paste (also called subar)

1 tablespoon salt

1 dessertspoon sugar

4-5 dried dates

The following spices are optional:

½ teaspoon each of powdered cinnamon, powdered cardamom, and rosewater.

Method

Mix the tamarind with enough water to remove the seeds easily.

Boil the dates with enough water to make a soft paste.

Wash the raisins.

Cut the chicken into relatively small pieces.

Simmer chicken, tamarind, dates and raisins for 20 minutes.

Add salt and sugar, and cook 10 minutes.

Add other spices if desired, and cook 10 minutes.

Add water until the sauce has the consistency of a watery gravy.

 Arsiya is best eaten warm. It can be reheated in the microwave but should be consumed the day it is cooked.

Interested?

Get the recipe for Omani coffee

Browse recipes on Suroor Asia for:

Harees (savoury)
Loqimat (sweet)
Omani shorba (savoury)
Shayariya (sweet) 
Threed (savoury) 

Eid recipes: Muqalab

Muqalab.

Muqalab  مقلب

Muqalab or “muqli” is a dish eaten on the first day of Eid. It is typically made from meat mixed with organ meats though it can be made with meat alone. This recipe is from Eat Omani by Omer Al Aamri:

Ingredients

1 kg or more of fresh meat and organ meats

2 bulbs garlic

2 drinking glasses of water

3½ teaspoons Omani masala*

1 to 1½ teaspoons of salt

Method

Cut meat into small chunks.

Put meat in pan with water and simmer 15 minutes.

Peel and mash garlic.

When water boils, add garlic.

Simmer 30 minutes, then add water if there is too little liquid to prevent burning.

Add Omani masala.

Simmer 10 minutes, then check if the meat is tender. Simmer till cooked if not.

Add salt to taste.

Simmer 10 minutes, adding a little water if needed to prevent burning.

 Muqalab is best eaten with Omani bread**, but can be served with white rice.

 Some recipes include nutmeg and ginger powder.

Interested?

Get the recipe for Omani coffee

Browse recipes on Suroor Asia for:

Harees (savoury)
Loqimat (sweet)
Omani shorba (savoury)
Shayariya (sweet) 
Threed (savoury) 

*Masala powder can be substituted. 

**A type of paper-thin flat bread.

Recipes for Ramadhan: Harees

Harees with bits of chicken.

In Oman, harees is often cooked during the fasting month of Ramadhan for the iftar meal, as it is easily digested. This recipe is from Eating Omani by Omer Al Aamri.

Harees  هريس

Harees is a thick porridge usually made with chicken. Its consistency is sometimes described as ‘gelatinous’. It is fairly bland by itself and is sometimes eaten with the local chilli sauce, which is more sour than spicy. The Zanzibari version is called “boko”.

Ingredients

1 kg wheat

1 kg fresh chicken – do not use chicken that has been frozen

4 litres of water

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method

Soak the wheat for half a day.

Wash chicken, remove skin and cut into small pieces. There is no need to debone the chicken.

Place water, chicken and soaked wheat into a pressure cooker.

Cook for an hour on medium heat.

Add salt and pepper.

Cook till the cooker whistles, or until all the water has been absorbed – the individual wheat grains should congeal.

Interested?

Get the recipe for Omani coffee

Browse recipes on Suroor Asia for:

Loqimat (sweet)
Omani shorba (savoury)
Shayariya (sweet) 
Threed (savoury)