Roz bel khalta (Egyptian rice with nuts, raisins, and gizzards)
Fluffy rice scented with cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, folded with golden fried gizzards, toasted nuts, and plump raisins. Known in Egypt as roz bel khalta (“rice with a mixture”), this festive dish is served at holidays and family gatherings, usually next to roasted or braised meats.
Ingredients
Instructions
Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Cover it with fresh water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain well.
If you are using gizzards, put them in a saucepan, cover with water, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until almost tender. Drain, pat dry, and cut into bite-size pieces. Cut kidneys into small pieces, removing the white core. Toss everything with the cumin, salt, and pepper.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until golden, add the meat, and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a bowl.
Wipe out the skillet and melt the remaining tablespoon of ghee over medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Add the raisins and cook for another minute, until they puff up. Set aside a few spoonfuls of the nuts and raisins for garnish.
Tie the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaves in a piece of cheesecloth. Melt the 2 tablespoons of ghee for the rice in a heavy pot over medium heat, add the drained rice, and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the hot broth, add the spice bundle and a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat as far as it will go, and cook for 15 minutes, until the broth is absorbed.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard the spice bundle, then gently fold in the meat, nuts, and raisins with a fork.
Spoon the rice onto a platter and scatter the reserved nuts and raisins on top.
Notes
Kidneys have a strong flavor. Soaking them in cold water with a splash of vinegar for 30 minutes before cooking mellows it.
Gizzards are tough, which is why they are simmered first.
Tying the spices in cheesecloth makes them easy to remove, since biting into a whole clove or cardamom pod is unpleasant.
Short-grain Egyptian rice is stickier than basmati. If you use it, add ½ cup more broth.
For a showy presentation, press the rice into a greased bundt pan, rest it for 5 minutes, and invert it onto the platter.
Variations
A simpler everyday version, called roz bel kebda (rice with liver), uses ½ lb chicken livers fried with 1 chopped onion until golden. Stir half into the rice after cooking and use the rest as a topping, with the nuts and raisins sprinkled on top as a garnish.
For a version without organ meats, leave out the gizzards or kidneys and add more nuts, or add cooked ground beef or lamb.
Source
Roz bel khalta is a festive Egyptian rice dish. Its name means “rice with a mixture,” a reference to the nuts, raisins, and meats folded into it. It appears at holidays and family gatherings and is typically served with roasted or braised lamb, beef, or poultry.