Saudi

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Saleeg (Rice Simmered in Broth and Milk)

A rice dish from the Hejaz: chicken simmered soft with cardamom and peppercorns, lifted out and browned, while long-grain rice cooks down in that broth until it collapses, finished with milk and butter. It looks like risotto and works the other way round. The rice is washed, and instead of stirring creaminess out of the grain, the creaminess is brought in as dairy. Kabsa is the control sitting next to it: the same long grain, cooked for the opposite result.

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Kabsa (Spiced Rice with Chicken)

Saudi Arabia's national dish: basmati cooked in a spiced tomato broth, topped with chicken browned separately until glossy and a scatter of butter-fried nuts and raisins. Dried lime is what makes it kabsa rather than spiced pilaf, and measuring the broth to 1.5× the rice is what keeps the grains separate.