Margooga (Emirati Chicken and Pastry)

A hearty stew with chicken, and vegetables with layers of thin sheets of dough in flavourful bezar spice mix broth— that's Margooga, a traditional Emirati soul food. F and I loved it the first time we tried it at a local restaurant. After a couple of experiments, I'm thrilled to share my version, which comes remarkably close to the delicious experience we had.

Margooga dish shares a striking resemblance to another Arabic dish known as Thareed and enjoys popularity, especially during Ramadan. If you are a fan of the Dejaj Salona recipe, then you will love this one too. A perfect bowl of warming flavours for cold nights!

What is Margooga?

The term 'margooga' roughly translates to 'rolled out' or 'thinned' referring to thin strips of dough added in the stew similar to pasta. If you are still unsure, imagine this as a milder version of Italian lasagne or the Southern chicken and pastry dish. Got it? Interesting right? Honestly, I had to google a lot to find an apt "English" title for this Emirati cuisine dish.

Ingredients

Margooga's ingredients are similar to Machbous's, but here we have more vegetables and dough instead of rice. I have listed chapati dough as an ingredient here as most of you may have some in the fridge. But no worries, I have included the details in the recipe card.

• chapati dough
• cooking oil
• whole spices: cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, dried black lime (loomi) and chilli flakes
• aromatics: onion, ginger and garlic
• bezar spice mix
• skinless whole chicken
• tomatoes and tomato paste
• mixed vegetables: potato, baby marrow (kusa), carrot, green capsicum, etc.
• See recipe card for quantities.

See the recipe card for complete details.

Equipment

You will need there items to make this dish:

• Large mixing bowl for preparing the dough.
• Wide-mouthed deep saucepot with lid for cooking the dish. (I have used a 25cm (approx 10 inches) round pot)
• Rolling pin for flattening the dough into thin sheets.

Instructions

Prep the ingredients before you start the Chicken Margooga recipe cooking process:

1. Prepare the dough and keep covered until needed
2. Clean and prep the chicken and let it sit in a colander to drain off excess liquid
3. Chop the vegetables and keep them ready
4. Roll the dough balls into thin sheets

Let me share the step-by-step process of making margooga stew with chicken.

the chicken layer

Heat some olive oil in a wide-mouthed deep saucepot on a medium heat. Add the whole spices and the dried black lime. If possible, pierce the dried lime carefully with a pairing knife. Don't risk if you fear.

Saute the spices for a few seconds and then add the chopped onions. You can dice or slice the onions because the shape doesn't matter.

The onions can go until they start to get golden. We don't want it to get fried or burnt. You may add a pinch of salt if your onions take too long to wilt.

Now, add the sliced tomatoes and tomato paste. Again, you can chop them the way you want. I like to keep it in roundels so it is easy to fish out the skin (for those who are picky eaters - le husband).

Add and saute the tomatoes with the ground spices and a pinch of salt. Use bezar for close to the flavour we loved.

It is time to add the chicken. So, increase the heat and add the cut chicken pieces.

Cook stirring until all the chicken pieces turn white and the mixture starts to boil. (You can take this time to roll the dough into 3 or 4 thin sheets.)

Add enough hot water to barely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and add salt to taste.

the veggies and pastry layer

Place a portion of the veggies in a single layer.

Place one rolled-out sheet of dough covering the veggies. Use a wooden spoon to gently press the sides so the stew surfaces. Do this until the dough sheet is submerged in stew.

Repeat the process of placing the veggies, covering them with a sheet of dough and gently pressing down to submerge them in the stew.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. Open and check if the potatoes are cooked through. Adjust the salt if required. Keep covered until needed.

NOTE: The dough does not have to be neatly shaped circle. Just aim at making it a thin sheet so it gets cooked in time with the vegetables. This is because, eventually the dish is going to be served and the sheets will be cut through. The layers are maintained only to be cooked evenly.

Substitutions

Here are a few of my suggestions:

• dough: You can use any cooked flatbread you may already have in hand. Just roughly tear them and add them to the stew.
• dried black lime: You can use yellow or brown dried lime. If you cannot source any, then add lime juice at the end of cooking and before serving.
• bezar spice mix: I highly recommend making a batch as you will make this dish on repeat! But in case you ran out of it or don't have all the ingredients to make it, here is my simple option to use instead:
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• Chicken: You can skip the chicken and make it with just veggies and chickpeas maybe? Or you can use red meat like lamb or beef.
• Veggies: You don't have to stick to the recipe. Use seasonal vegetables like pumpkin, gourd, beans etc.

Variations

• Experiment with protein choices such as lamb or beef instead of chicken.
• Customize the vegetable mix by incorporating seasonal favourites like squash or eggplant.
• Adjust spice levels to taste, adding more red chilli flakes for heat or reducing for a milder version.
• For a heartier texture, consider using different types of Arabic flatbread in place of the thin dough sheets.

Storage

• Refrigerate leftover chicken Margooga in an airtight container.
• Reheat it gently on a stovetop or in a microwave with a few tablespoons of water. Margooga will thicken over time, so adjust the consistency during reheating. I don't recommend freezing Margooga as it would alter the texture.

FAQ

Related

Looking for other recipes using skinless whole chicken? Try these:

📖 Recipe Card

Margooga (Emirati Chicken and Pastry)

A classic Emirati dish, a hearty stew featuring chicken, mixed veggies, and soaked raw bread in a homemade bezar spice mix broth.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 People

Calories: 735.96kcal

Author: Famidha Ashraf

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Ingredients

 

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For the dough:

• ▢ 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ to ⅔ cup water

For the stew:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon cooking oil, (olive oil)
• ▢ 2 inch cinnamon stick
• ▢ 2 bay leaf
• ▢ 2 dried black lime, (loomi)
• ▢ 2 medium onion, chopped finely
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon bezar spice mix
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• ▢ 800 grams skinless whole chicken, cut into 12 pieces
• ▢ 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 3 large tomato, chopped into roundels
• ▢ 1 large potato, chopped into chunky wedges
• ▢ 2 Baby marrow, chopped into chunky strips
• ▢ 1 carrot, chopped into chunky batons
• ▢ 1 green capsicum, chopped into large pieces
• ▢ 3 cups hot water
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the dough:

• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add most of the water and gently bring together until a dough forms. Cover and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
  1 cup whole wheat flour

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ to ⅔ cup water
• Divide the dough into four and shape each ball into smooth balls. Keep covered until needed.

Prepare the stew:

• Heat cooking oil in a wide-mouthed deep saucepot on medium to high heat. Add and fry the whole spices for a few seconds.
  1 tablespoon cooking oil

  2 inch cinnamon stick

  2 bay leaf

  2 dried black lime
• Add the chopped red onions and saute for a few minutes until translucent.
  2 medium onion
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell fades.
  1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• Now, add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well.
  2 tablespoon tomato paste

  3 large tomato
• Add the ground spices along with a little salt and mix well.
  1 tablespoon bezar spice mix

  1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• Add the clean chicken pieces and turn the heat up. Cook stirring occasionally until all the chicken pieces turn white.
  800 grams skinless whole chicken
• Add enough hot water to barely cover the chicken pieces.
  3 cups hot water
• Scatter some of the chopped veggies in a single layer.
  1 large potato

  2 Baby marrow

  1 carrot

  1 green capsicum

  Salt and pepper to taste
• Roll the dough balls into thin sheets (ensuring they are not larger than the mouth of the pot.
• Place one dough sheet over the veggie layer. Use a wooden spoon to gently press the sides so the stew surfaces. Do this until the dough sheet is submerged in stew.
• Repeat the process of the layer of veggies and a sheet of dough. Make sure to press the sides to bring the stew over the dough sheet. Does not matter what you end with because it is a stew and doesn’t need to hold shape.
• Reduce the heat to low to medium, cover and let cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Open and check if the potatoes are cooked through.

Serve

• Keep covered until ready to serve. With time the stew will thicken. Dig and scoop out using a large serving spoon. Serve chicken Margooga in a wide bowl with some fresh salad and yoghurt in the side for those who cannot handle spicy food.

Video

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A post shared by Famidha Ashraf. but first chai (@butfirstchaai)

Notes

Store chicken Margooga in the fridge. Reheat gently on a stovetop or in a microwave with water. Adjust consistency when reheating; avoid freezing for texture preservation.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 735.96kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.4g | Protein: 44.32g | Fat: 33.69g

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: arabic, Emirati, middle eastern

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Recipe inspired by ICCA and Spinneys

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