Yemeni Zurbian with Chicken
Zurbian is not kabsa — the chicken marinates in yogurt and spices for two hours, and the rice steams above it in sealed layers. The yogurt tenderises the meat and keeps it from drying, and the sealed steaming lets the rice drink the seasoned vapour.
- Prep
- 140 min
- Cook
- 75 min
- Total
- 215 min
- Calories
- 580
Zurbian is a Yemeni celebration dish, influenced by Indian cooking through the old trade routes. Rice layered over yogurt-marinated chicken, garnished with saffron and crisp onion. Richer than kabsa and closer to biryani.
Method
-
1
Marinate
Mix the yogurt, spices, garlic-ginger paste and lemon, and rub it into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
⏱ 130 min -
2
Crisp onion
Fry the onion in the oil until deep golden and crisp, and drain it on paper. Keep the oil.
⏱ 15 min -
3
Cook the chicken
In the same oil, add the chicken with its marinade, the tomatoes, half the crisp onion and the coriander. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
⏱ 32 min -
4
Part-boil the rice
Boil the soaked rice in salted boiling water with the cardamom, bay and cinnamon for only 6 minutes — it must stay half raw. Drain it.
⏱ 10 min -
5
Layer
Spread the rice over the chicken in the same pot, drizzle the saffron dissolved in milk in lines over it, and add the remaining crisp onion, almonds and raisins.
⏱ 6 min -
6
Sealed steam
Wrap the pot lid in a cloth and cover tightly, then leave it over very low heat for 25 minutes — or in a 180°C oven.
⏱ 27 min -
7
Serve
Turn it out carefully or serve from the side so the layers show, with sahawiq (Yemeni hot sauce) and yogurt.
Cooked it? Rate it
Your rating tells the next cook whether this recipe is worth their time.
✓ Thanks — your rating is in.
Tips that actually matter
- The yogurt in the marinade tenderises the chicken and stops it drying — not just for flavour.
- The rice is only part-boiled. Fully cooked rice turns to paste in the steaming.
- A cloth over the lid stops condensed steam dripping back and wetting the rice.
- Do not stir after layering — the layers are part of the dish.
People also ask
What is the difference between zurbian and mandi?
Mandi is roasted in a pit or oven over steam, with the rice cooked in its broth. In zurbian the chicken marinates in yogurt and cooks in a pot, with rice steamed over it in layers — closer to biryani.
What is hawaij?
A Yemeni blend of cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, clove and black pepper. There are two kinds — cooking hawaij and coffee hawaij — use the cooking one.
Can I use lamb?
Yes, and lamb zurbian is very popular. The lamb needs an hour and a half at the cooking stage instead of 30 minutes.
Cook mode
Yemeni Zurbian with Chicken
-
1
Marinate
Mix the yogurt, spices, garlic-ginger paste and lemon, and rub it into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
-
2
Crisp onion
Fry the onion in the oil until deep golden and crisp, and drain it on paper. Keep the oil.
-
3
Cook the chicken
In the same oil, add the chicken with its marinade, the tomatoes, half the crisp onion and the coriander. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
-
4
Part-boil the rice
Boil the soaked rice in salted boiling water with the cardamom, bay and cinnamon for only 6 minutes — it must stay half raw. Drain it.
-
5
Layer
Spread the rice over the chicken in the same pot, drizzle the saffron dissolved in milk in lines over it, and add the remaining crisp onion, almonds and raisins.
-
6
Sealed steam
Wrap the pot lid in a cloth and cover tightly, then leave it over very low heat for 25 minutes — or in a 180°C oven.
-
7
Serve
Turn it out carefully or serve from the side so the layers show, with sahawiq (Yemeni hot sauce) and yogurt.
Comments
Cooked it? Tell us how it went, or ask a question — we read every comment.