Meqlûbî, also written maqluba or makloubeh, brings rice and vegetables together in a pot that is turned onto a serving dish. Recipes from Iraqi Kurdistan sit within a wider tradition of Palestinian and Iraqi family cooking.
A documented preparation from Iraqi Kurdistan
Community Peacemaker Teams publishes a vegan maqluba under recipes from its Iraqi Kurdistan team. Its version serves five and brings together rice, aubergines, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and sweet peppers, seasoned with turmeric and an Arab or Kurdish spice mixture. [1] This is a concrete example of the dish being prepared in the region. A Kurdish Food Naza Gull menu in Erbil also lists meat and chicken maqluba, showing how the dish appears in a local restaurant repertoire. [4]
Building the layers
The Kurdistan team salts and drains the aubergines, prepares the vegetables separately, and places potatoes at the bottom of the pot with tomatoes above or between them. Aubergine slices line the sides, supported by the other vegetables. Rice and its seasoned water then complete the pot. The mixture comes to the boil before the heat is lowered and the lid kept closed for steaming. [1] Layer order determines which ingredients appear on the outside after the pot is inverted.
An Iraqi family’s lamb version
Amina Al-Saigh describes her mother’s Iraqi-style maqluba as red from tomato paste, usually made with lamb and whole spices. Her recipe roasts vegetables before layering. Tomatoes go beneath aubergine, potato, meat, onions, peppers and rice. She recommends a wide, straight-sided non-stick pan for easier release. [2] This gives a different result from the Kurdistan team’s vegetable-only preparation while retaining the layered cooking method.
Family variations and the vine-leaf addition
Palestinian-American cook Heifa Odeh describes a family version with lamb, aubergine, cauliflower and optional potato. She now bakes vegetables that her family fried, and serves the dish with yoghurt and salad. [3] A reader named Aubrey reports adding stuffed grape leaves to Al-Saigh’s recipe after seeing Kurdish friends do so. That is an individual report of a household variation; it does not establish a rule for every Kurdish cook or a uniquely Kurdish ingredient. [2] The documented recipes leave room for several preparations.
Resting, turning and serving
The Kurdistan team rests its cooked maqluba for ten to fifteen minutes before turning it out. [1] Al-Saigh turns pot and tray together, waiting briefly before lifting the pot. [2] Odeh notes that a less-than-perfect release still produces an enjoyable dish. Her discussion places maqluba particularly in Palestinian and Jordanian homes and describes its importance at Ramadan meals. [3] The communal platter is part of the dish’s presentation, while ingredients and cooking times depend on the particular recipe being followed.
Sources and further reading
- Community Peacemaker Teams, Recipes from our Iraqi Kurdistan Team: Vegan Maqluba; ingredients, method and resting time.
- Amina Al-Saigh, Maqluba with Lamb, Hungry Paprikas; Iraqi family preparation and reader Aubrey’s comment, 11 November 2025.
- Heifa Odeh, Maqluba with Lamb, Fufu’s Kitchen (20 December 2022); Palestinian family recipe and serving context.
- Kurdish Food Naza Gull, Erbil, menu published through Lezzoo; meat and chicken maqluba listings, accessed October 2026.