Best Iraqi Baked Dinner Recipes

IRAQI STYLE TABYEET CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the turmeric and brown the chicken on all sides. Add the water, tomato paste, spices, salt, pepper (I use a lot of pepper and not very much salt) and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken.
• Return the cooking liquid to a boil and add the rice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. If the rice is dry, add a little more water. Take the rice off the stove and cool for a few minutes, uncovered.
• Mix the garbanzo beans into the rice mixture and then spoon a cup or so of rice into the cavity of the chicken. Make a well in the rice within the pot and nestle the chicken, breast side up, into the rice.
• Take the eggs and carefully prick a hole in the round part of the eggshell (to let air escape) and then bury them carefully in the rice around the chicken. Make sure they are not touching the bottom of the pot. Explosions are not good.
• Cover with aluminum foil and then cover tightly with the dutch ovens lid and bake in a 200F oven overnight (10 hours). You can also bake the casserole at 350F for 2 hours, reducing the heat to 250F and cooking for 2-3 more hours.
• When ready to serve, remove the chicken carefully and de-bone it. Arrange on a serving platter with the rice mounded around it. Scrape up all the crusty rice from the bottom of the pan - its the best part. Arrange the eggs, peeled and halved, on top of the rice.

TRADITIONAL IRAQI 'CASSEROLE'- TEPSI BAYTINIJAN

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant in wide stripes and remove stems. Cut the eggplant into rounds about 1" thick.
• Peel and slice the potatoes into 1" thick round slices, set aside. Slice the onions the same way. Peel the garlic and crush it using one of those little garlic contraptions. Slice the tomatoes.
• Heat about 1/2 cup of oil in a non-stick pan and fry the eggplant slices until each piece is light golden. In the same oil, lightly fry the potatoes- they don't have
• to cook all the way through. Set aside. In the same pan, fry the onion, and set aside. Drain the fried pieces on some paper towels.
• Mix the ground beef, half of the crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Make small meatballs and fry them. Set aside.
• Mix about 2 1/2 cups of water with 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, the remainder of the crushed garlic, salt (about 3 teaspoons), and pepper (preferably white pepper) and -- you guessed it -- set aside.
• In a baking dish, arrange the eggplant pieces so they slightly overlap (do 2nd layer if necessary.) On top of the eggplant, arrange the potato slices, then the onion, then the slices of tomato on the very top. Arrange the meatballs in between the tomato slices, spreading them evenly. Pour the tomato paste mixture on top of all of this. Arrange the meatballs in between the tomato slices, spreading them evenly.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170-180 c, for 45-60 mins, be careful not to burn --
• This dish is served with Basmati rice or any other kind of rice -- we prefer Basmati or 'Ammbar'.