Upside-down rice cake

Maghluba means ‘upside down’ in Arabic, and this rice cake is a traditional Palestinian dish that usually includes meat.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
500g	charlotte potatoes, sliced just under 1cm thick
5 tablespoons	olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 teaspoons	ground cumin
2	aubergines, sliced into 1cm rounds
400g	spinach, blanched in boiling water then squeezed out
1	lemon, zested, plus wedges to serve
3	large tomatoes, sliced 5mm thick
or 6	smaller tomatoes, sliced 5mm thick
6	garlic cloves, crushed
300g	white short-grain rice, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
625ml	hot vegetable stock
1 teaspoon	ground turmeric
1 teaspoon	ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon	ground allspice
1 teaspoon	freshly grated nutmeg
handful	mint leaves
	salt
	black pepper
	tzatziki, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line two large trays with baking parchment. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp cumin and some seasoning, then spread out on one of the trays. In the same bowl, toss the aubergines with 3 tbsp oil and some seasoning, then arrange on the other tray. Roast the vegetables for 35 – 40 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. In a bowl mix the spinach with seasoning and the lemon zest.
Line the base of a deep 23cm lidded pan with baking parchment. Grease the pan with oil. Lay the tomato slices over the base of the pan, then top with the roasted aubergines. Scatter over one-third of the garlic, followed by one-third of the drained rice. Top with the potatoes, then another one-third of garlic and one-third of rice. Arrange the spinach on top of the rice and scatter with the final one third of garlic and the remaining rice.
Mix together the stock and spices, including the remaining 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp salt. Pour this over the rice and bring to a simmer, then lay a circle of parchment on top and weigh down with a saucer. Add the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to steam for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Scatter over the mint leaves and serve with tzatziki.