January of this year the leader of Kuwait ordered money and free food handouts that will last for the citizens of Kuwait until March of 2012. Each one of the citizens will get the equivalent of $3572 in U.S. money and all essential food items given free as well. The 2.4 million foreign residents that reside in Kuwait are excluded from this grant. The Arab state also provides a well fare system that cares for its citizens from the time they are born until they die. The real kicker though is that over 80% of the workers in the Arab state make over $3,500 a month. Why are they excluding all foreign residents, when some of them may have been there for well over ten years. It all sounds so unfair but it usually does to anyone that is not on the receiving side.
The staple of most Kuwaiti dishes is mutton, chicken and rice not including the seasonings. How expensive really can that be? 2.01 Per 1lb of chicken .64 for lb of rice 2.33 dozen eggs and 4.52 for lettuce at these prices it seems as if you could eat like a king everyday based on the salary you make and the government handouts. There are other meats used for the meals as well like camel, beef, goat, fish or shrimp depending upon the budget and personal preference.
The most common dish in this culture is called Kabsa. Kabsa is a one-plate combination of meat, vegetables and spices. If it is your first time to prepare the dish you may want to get pre mixed kabsa spices, they are available from many companies and it reduces preparation and difficulty but it may not taste like the traditional kabsa dish. Some spices used are black pepper, cloves, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, black lime, bay leaves and nutmeg. You can also put a twist on the flavor by adding things like pine nuts, onions, almonds or raisins into the dish. Many people also find that they like the flavor when you top it with a homemade tomato sauce.
Traditionally the meat is cooked in a hole in the ground that is covered while cooking or it is grilled upon flat stones on top of burning embers. The way that has been adopted in the modern days is cooking in a pressure cooker. After you marinate and cook the meat, you will want to cook the rice with the spices added to it. When the meat and the rice are, done pile it up in the serving dish and place the meat on top.
These dishes contain interesting meat and spice combinations that sound strange at first but do not let that fool you; they are very tasty, filling and satisfying. The dishes also tend to yield a high serving count making it ideal for a big get together that needs wake up call to the palate or just able to feed a big family on a budget here in the states.
