Contrastingly, maqlooba, kabsa and mandi feature stronger spice elements, softened vegetables and varying styles of preparation. Maqlooba literally means "upside down," and it refers to the practice of flipping the dish from the cooking pot onto a platter once it is ready to be served. Kabsa has a distinctively bright orange color that comes from the richly seasoned tomato-based broth in which the rice is cooked. Kabsa is commonly enjoyed with a chilli-tomato sauce called Daqoos. Finally, mandi is seasoned lighter than kabsa and its rice has much lighter hue. It's unique taste and aroma comes from smoking the meat separately.
Other special dishes are prepared with bread, such as fatteh and msakhan. Fatteh is a rich and creamy dish that layers crispy pita chips with a thick garlic-based yogurt sauce, and may also include meat, rice and vegetables. Finally, mskhan, which is the national dish of Palestine, is enjoyed so widely in Jordan due to the large Palestinian community there. It is made by baking taboon bread that has been topped with flavorful chicken broth, onions that have been cooked down in olive in and seasoned generously with sumac, as well as tender roasted chicken. Mskhan is also served in the form of a roll by stuffing thin bread with the onion and chicken filing, then baking until crispy. It is such a delicacy!
Other Sides and Soups
The fun does not end there! There is so much more variety to Jordanian cuisine, but I'll leave you with just a few more dishes that you should definitely know about!
