Madrooba — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Soft rice beaten into a creamy consistency with tender fish, fresh dill, and a blend of turmeric and bezar spices. A coastal Emirati comfort dish of rare delicacy.

Ingredients

400g white fish fillets (hammour or sea bass)
1.5 cups short-grain rice
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp bezar spice blend
2 tbsp ghee
3 cups water
Salt to taste
Dried lime powder (optional)

Instructions

1 Wash rice well. Place in pot with water, onion, garlic, turmeric, and bezar. Bring to a boil.
2 Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until rice is very soft and breaking apart.
3 Cut fish into chunks and nestle into the rice. Add chopped dill and ghee.
4 Cook 10 more minutes until fish is flaky and cooked through.
5 Beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until the rice, fish, and dill merge into a creamy porridge.
6 Serve in a deep bowl with extra ghee drizzled on top and sprigs of fresh dill.

Did You Know?

Pearl divers' wives perfected madrooba as a restorative meal for their husbands returning exhausted from months at sea.