Noor Murad’s recipes for Gulf-style rice

Noor Murad’s fega’ata, or bottom-of-the-pot chicken and rice. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Kitty Coles. Food styling assistant: Clare Cole.

The Gulf countries are known for their elaborate rice dishes, many of them inverted, so the bottom becomes the top and the top the bottom. Some of the best and most traditional ones are cooked over charcoal and palm wood in deep underground fire pits, so the smokiness takes over every grain. That isn’t practical in most homes, but I like to think we can still produce the most wonderful rice dishes with just simple ingredients and a lot of love.

Fega’ata, or bottom-of-the-pot chicken and rice (pictured top)