Maqluba (Makloubeh) - Palestinian Upside-Down Rice

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1. 1Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F / 160°C Fan) for the cauliflower.
2. 2Step 2: Rinse and drain the rice and set aside.
3. 3Step 3: Dice the onion (chop up fairly finely).
4. 4Step 4: Chop the aubergine, courgette and capsicum into rough cube shapes. Basically, quarter the aubergine and courgette lengthwise, then slice.
5. 5Step 5: Slice the tomatoes into rounds and set aside.
6. 6Step 6: Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
7. 7Step 7: Arrange the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil all over. Sprinkle with the salt and freshly ground black pepper, and roast for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Flip halfway through the cooking time.
8. 8Step 8: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
9. 9Step 9: Sauté the onions for about 3-4 minutes.
10. 10Step 10: Add the meat, allspice, turmeric, salt and some pepper, stir and brown the meat all over and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. You want the final result to be a little on the dry side, but not too dry. A little moisture is good.
11. 11Step 11: Grease your saucepan all over. Then start with layering the bottom with the sliced tomatoes. You'll get 2 layers. Season with salt and pepper, a small sprinkle will do.
12. 12Step 12: Add half the meat, season with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Then pack down with a potato masher. In my original recipe and video, I place all the meat first. But in these new pictures, you can see that I'm layering the meat along with the rice. So half the meat now, and half later.
13. 13Step 13: Add all the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and pack down.
14. 14Step 14: Then top with half the rice, season with salt and pepper and flatten.
15. 15Step 15: Now we add the second half of the meat, season, and pack down.
16. 16Step 16: And finally, the second half of the rice. Season with salt and pepper, and pack down.
17. 17Step 17: Take a small saucer, place it face down on the rice (or use the back of a large spoon), and slowly pour all the stock in. This stops a gap/hole appearing in the rice as you're pouring the stock in. You also don't want to mess with the packed rice and stuff.
18. 18Step 18: Place the pot on the stovetop, turn the heat on high for 3 minutes to bring everything up to simmering point although you'll probably only see the edges bubbling. When you see the bubbles at the edges, move on to the next step.
19. 19Step 19: Put the lid on, turn the heat right down and cook for 45 minutes. After that time, if you think the rice isn't done, another 5-10 minutes should suffice. Take the saucepan off the hot hob and leave the rice to rest for 10 minutes before unveiling.
20. 20Step 20: Take a large plate or serving platter, place it over the pot. Flip the whole thing over, carefully. So now, plate at the bottom, and pot on top, upside down. Holding the plate tightly against the saucepan, give it a gentle shake. Then slowly, ease the saucepan off the plate. In the video, this happens at around 12:15 minutes. Top with the nuts and parsley.
21. 21Step 21: If you packed the saucepan as mentioned, it shouldn't collapse. But if it does, no big deal, scatter with pine nuts and parsley and serve.